BOUND oma Da ek) TCE Bey eye) ELC a Fateaten) Toy a The Dark Tower | - tad Pegg Pp Pre | ~ Miniature Se —f 4 cs oa We're looking for monsters!2 Ne SNovember 1900 THE Magazine oF FERNSARIES ) SIMULATION” [ASSOCIATE EOFTOR Michael E Moore of Blood ERICSMITHE Bannon tn Gacterg Bradt Tessa; Seocte Ste, Bypass EDWARD MICHAELS 2 ‘Gmcwanon ano svsscrnow rouruisent Ped The Dark Tower Rermet ncnen oe Of Lond Helieson__ 4 GERM eT | Tarcee specoshipe wenn nen Eetececmmectcem, | Soe omscanuanmo cowgrrmetes | Eo terrenaey _ssawswanemo _n a — ‘GREG COSTIRYANtal 0 STEN Somatic hase Ss SS OPI. SPhsresicrervesouth ton orn. 10019 arveras109 this time exploding some of the classic Toaking Asoo New Tine ae hie ma as ee fre gre amen Riomieg pene the oe Oe enema [As youcan se, the space allotod to my spaceship matures arta and you think {actersand tools of The Weck ofthe Pan- gcterg ane too of The eck ofthe Far- | personal section af themagaziesshinking photographing those teeny thingy sy dere i tomy new gare syste Alt | Sur ‘gnaier "ap. much Yor edtonal Gon othe tah me about sepenina wa be shor tion, Scince | Ferognives Most readorscan sand stso "The cover forth aus think] very for Sloe Fin, Facts for Fantasy, | Pochonempioionottteintnteand Gt sinking waa set tod yaa inate themed, anc "Sues important toe cata thod ined uo hawng some down mith te Se ann | setinenan es ORT rt ne sa Fine ar amy Maen | UN ee eat ot lehe tits eat ne Eee Te a | soccer aiaiaatasens Se Ss ite hatte ay Peters malin label, fost above” your ‘nave a smidge of pride connected with off in Mass. and work by long distance is dit ‘When to Expect Nr. Stott bert oboe” your ‘cues pong Wea, st sho Your | ie Dethar/Glaeloytm nastuch'n felt. to ry sree Tors Relate ame. Fer, Subserban: Ad wane | ce ait ih canny he are Good ae eo tage Yad toes eo Petia pece ot ernest a cerestngtedeiguetasctonoanre Thi hima WodGon snd eirtoae farshow Sorter rrhed tor gorge aaw'of ed tray novd fo RYE. or of he ol Onthe Cover ESridosard eure chouiloe Mebane ors wih Suro woo tet tao hin ty sare Berey Shaws rendaing of Loki | sumer of ure games paveuity it you engov avtson fora wich wares eters But Toe! ere ciovser | ulstketmnens iano) eur Pato Sighteyd"ond Hoste tee Sind gerne, bawed pon © scart by | Bocuse try preccrupaton wth rak- Mr eve tmeorant par. Tae’ nest Fedor Simona. ty catr than amon, foe fon once faso and i Pave tw Space 1 fou ey Pessimistic Boardman pice on space Yavel Seoret as wall nesmondSubscribe now to A The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy Simulation ‘Subscribe to The Magazine forGamers S&T and Aras games analyzed in every MOVES! An original game in every issue!HISTORICAL BACKGROUND me MW mmm) ia iste A History of the Citadel of Blood by Nick Karp The Citadel of Blood was built by the Dark Lord, Loki Hellsson, = in the years following his rise to infamy in 480 A.F. For 30 years, a thousand slaves labored to construct the fortress, which has never been rivalled in either strength or immensity. The Citadel's outer bastions rise over a hundred feet above _ the ruddy, league-wide moat that Ces Me ie of Blood. indeed, when Pesigiaee oe alae nay) for ver has breached‘The Dark Lord had severaideas in mind ‘when he bull the Cadel. Fst, waste bea (great forttess, a refuge in times of defeat, {Winen te Cte! was bust Helsson was the master of the northern word, but he was te a wll 3b mbitious, he knew herd to ‘ropa forth ev tas that wore destined {otal thareign of his power Holeson's secondary. purpose. how. ver, ivotved hs use of the Citadel ae 2 \Wortshop and testing ground for his many {oul experiments. The gretest mage inthe known world loved t@. dabble in minor Sorceres, 2 wll 25 in the more powerfl conjuring, and needad © protected space ‘re he could workin soltuse, Inthe tie tthe Evi One's ule, was not uncommon {o S00 clouds of malignant alchemie vapors resting over the upper Uatlements of the {orvess. The atmosphere about the forwess ‘was so chited by mors ofthe Dak Lords {xperiments in breeding, the Ike of which Fad-not baen ‘son since the husbandry of the dragons ihe results of whch were the men and ors). The mage crated boasts of Shadow and unspeakable uginess, the ror cfwhich etl endures. Within the Citadel, eumerous baracks, storerooms, and armaias were const uct to accomodate Lot's vast sry. Dozers of rooms were also bull or the mage's por Sonal quarters, magical lsboratores and Horas. Drawing Upon lessons eared fom te hundreds of bloody betes fought inthe labyrinthine tunnels of the orcs and goer, {ot decided that confusion. physical strenath, would be ke onal dofense, Within the Citade’s. gest walls, the Dark Lord fet secure for hostle ‘mies, but nevertheless he dd not ust the Soriness of is orcsh senes to preserve the boston againet individu inroders Ac. cordingly, the Black Wieard planned out 3 ‘omplleated maze, which he had construc: fat the Chade’s entrance. Through the ‘wisted contusion of rooms and corso, ‘nly ene way ld to tho true entrance tothe ‘Bark Lord’ nin the secrete wth, None Save the Helsson himself know the entire ‘way trough the maze. Many ware the times ‘hot would-be assassin successtuly Stole ‘hair way past tha guard at the Cadets fate, only to perish, stvanded and starving, Song the ends turngs ofthe aby, When Loki bult the maze, he enticed xoatures ofa sos 10 come o dwell thee, fering them great riches Ingold and gems ‘bd fine delicacies, conjured 12 ther I Siva tastes. The Dork Lord stove for power, valuing woasure butte, and so was Says generous with his wealth. At frst on- Iya few ‘scraggly beasts ontorad the Iabyrnt, but 2, these Test few prospered, ‘more carne to the Citadel 19 dwell in satel Sand fch splendour. Soon, ‘hordes of ‘monsters ofa descriptors filed tne has land chombers ofthe Cadel, providing bet {er protection tor the Date’ Lords inner recesses than the many thousands of hs oor waned and cowardly orcish solders. However, theDar Lorddid not rust his detense entraly to the greed of his guard- fans. At votous points within the mazo he mglaced toms of grat magical potency 10 ‘hrm ond bower those who survived ‘ho ‘monetere’ assault. In edavon 10 the traps, ‘and oul conurings st to hinder 3 would-be ‘seassn, LOK! 80 UseG is powers of ‘enchantment to. corstuct & warning 2nd ommunizavons system within the Maze, ‘The fol foe this network wore a series of amt siver mirors, aaboratly carved with mystic olyphs, through which the moge Gould. observe any who dared 10 invude. Upon his forwess ‘alson finaly met Ws doom in 65 AE. aftr the War of the Great Sword. His legions had swept into the Valey of the Great Sword but were repulsed intially i: formng te advice of he genera! Helicon {ook overcomplete conto! ofthe amy and ‘ordered a massive attack, unawre that NS fy Vasi he Blessed wes about t9 jor NS enemies ad lea @ foray agent is flanks, Hotazon's attack was crushed, his semies ‘Seater, andthe Dark Lord was wapped. In Sle man-to-man comat, Thrin Evisbane ‘Siow the Dak Lor. In ater Years, when the Sprit of Hasson returned to te Vale, is ‘Soul was forever destroyed when his body ‘Was burnedwith achip rem tha ly branch ofthe Nabisa, "attr the Dark Lorg's passing, the ‘Scarlet Clade lay vacant for more than two Cantus, during whieh tra the fort ations crumbled, and the bestal qvasians Soreod to encompass the whole a tho oof Blood in a ragn of terer and death. None Save the foohardy caret the sland during {his Une, and few of tose that came back were unécarred At the time of X te Une Known’ fight tom the Empire of Man, the ‘creatures that roamed about the Citadel had ‘early desttoyed eachother, and these was, eary desolate arama rt vey of the Great Sword rom the south, X fesaWved to repay the Empire forthe dale and formant he hod suffres atthe hands of urs. Wh the last of his personal fortune, the mage Fired mousends of ors from tigi and the urounding ands, and marchod tothe le of Blood, where he st about restoring the fr twess to its former gaatness. Soon the bst- ements were as fll and ominous as they had ever beon undo the Dark Lord, and the ‘Arch of Evi nen crossed the moat, Was febultand fortined anew, ‘Once safe on the sland, X tuned his snergis to potent magia esearch. was ‘eran that his destiny was fo become the fpext Dark. Loc, the successor to. Lok Hetseon, and he concentrated | his {energies on reviving the enchantmentsofhis Dredecessor. In particular, X stove To ro over a small encrusted amulet, 3 mighty ‘Fatsman of Or thet eld the secret tothe Contre ofthe HolGat, "The HalGate was a sorcorous poral Joading' down into the fery depths of the ‘Abyss. Physically, it sppeared as 2 smal ‘square tower, roughly hewn tlm ving rose itgenance was a wide doorway setinto one face, surrounded by the gruesome forms of intieatoly sculpted devi Dancing famae Icked up trough the poral, and a sel of fullur and brimstone perrteoted their round i The ip of the Gate wos omatey fashioned win powerful runes anda about tthe air eraclod with el encnantmant 5 The craton of this awesome portals Imystery, even tothe most potent mages of tine age of mage Rumors sboune, and ‘evry adept has Ris own thoores as to how {he torces contained the Gate wore bound ‘The most common legends, however, say that “te. Hellgate. was wrought by the ‘orkestneeromante ats Helsson's Spal being poweredby the craied ife-anergis of ‘ver 0,000 souls, Tis now known thatthe {ornble portal was constructd by the Dark ord himsat, at the height of fs power. Heleson used the svength ofthe Gate to fry ns own magics, and soon, with the ot Porta this commons, Lok’s enchont ‘ments bocarne. almost less Armes ‘marching against the Citadel to do bate were devastated by fearful storms of flame {oted forth tom the suiphurous depths. The HeliGate fora tine made the Dark Lord almost vinta, "Aor the defeat ofthe Dark Lord how. ever, te Tasman that bound the mabgrant Spit of the HelGete wes ost, andthe porta lapsed into uneasy dormancy. It continued te-spew lames and to emanate sang aura ff mogie throughout the vale. Try a8 thay might the greatest incantabons of mopes bind wizards who dared he Foros were to no avai without the Talisman the Gate ‘would accept naneasits master. By the time of X's artival, the HelGate had emainod unbound for’ 3 pated of ever! centuries, As soon 88 the Unnamed ‘One had restored the Cage, he turned Nie [tention to the shadow-poral. For years he Strove with no sucess to awoken the Porta But tay after many mind-bending stug: ls of wil, he who was to be the second Bare Lord scadonaly unearthed 3 mages Cache which Lok hadlett Contaned vita wos the gomnersted. amet which he ‘eeogaized asthe Talsman that bound the Secreto theliGae's contra. Tncterer of ther Ives, the Deathlor's adversaries soon detected vast releases of ‘mage energies streaming sway from the Chaat. Soon the ward was spread thatthe HetGstehed found enew master [As X's power waxed great, hs formor enemies” inthe. Valley each sont socet femecares to negotate an alonce withthe Master of the Bastion of Blood. X recowed tach group of diplomats gleetuly, and sont ‘ther home wth hopeful oaths of teandsip ‘and paace. Then, oe trom any teat oft {ack the now Dirk Lord began to augrrent fis songth, amasing armies and multay ing his mapea esrars with npreceont ‘When % broke fath and alied rieseit wah the Empire of Man in the Thea Wor of the League of Arava, the peoples of the Voley new that they had bean decolved. He was a power too dangerous to have at their Backs, but there was ite hope that they ould defeat rim in open combat. X had fords of fresh troops and the dofonsve rmghtof the Sealet Cadel Mostimpartant, Fowover, head the key tothe HellGate nd {slong athe controled ti oi devi, nos ‘ry could approach te Cadel of Blocd wit {ny hope of survival, much les victory. UUnsbie to wrest the eu Gateway Tom x by fore, tho nations othe Valley sought to Ube the ‘Sength and. stl of indvidual estimaSCIENCE FOR SCIENCE FICTION Dark Stars and Dim Hopes or: Why You're Sti/ Not Going to the Stars! by John Boardman, Ph.D. th nr hand crs of erie tae ro. emeieaPieens, ee Saat taicbag cee Seemsehees art ia pivoamiosscteaeet Sercee eae Serene Wy Ms oe See ea ree SEE ie ear So Sarees Se cancel Soy, Rogligstee tice ES aS ea sn amines ct Wns meusersretera soricen attain se Se ceese cero Toa Seely ey mere rea seria Soiree Sevres se Severna acne ee Ser St feria cnacten sae mmepesriaee tenet Se ce Sn wn on othe sore es iano Sey 0 Ses isn Tae eisai te Seienet Sse nova iar fecrtrtnterier iter Prem cr aeheee eas Sem tat Pe a "sn wn Ce tae a ts sinter nant Siar Sep ig ae ate Poe itstaeal eneta ec ea nde oats Sa Soamea Remit: Eengacune Nstoan nag aaereaaetna en Reece ta cya Paritiomnte” ae ce ce rehile oe tc ye Pystma erecta, aetna! cot Perec ee Sees icici miners hike Eee oe a PRa eae eager Serer iyo serait ‘The sun does put out other things sie ight Dut the 0a wn woud ot appreciably improve. matters. A" coherent [eter bear, emitted rom arth andres the sal, woul have tbe kept on target with fexreme precsion sine both the earth and the sail would be moving, Not sven laser ‘beam cou be Kept ght enough, et asto- Roms! datances, to give ai ts energy fo thoes ‘One of the most thought provoking ‘scjnce ficton nova of sho 1900s was The ‘Mote in God's Eve by Jey Pourete and Lary Niven Simon @ Shuster, 1878 Inthe ove, "God's Eye" is area gant sta Slight years from © human colony called New Scotland. yellow gwert companion ofthe Fed git, 9 star comparable Size with the Shin. 's cated "the Mote in God's Eye.” Dur ing a "dartage” on New Scotland, some people reportad a bright green ight coming from the mote. records indicated that it shore for about 180 years before going out |i develops thatthe green light wes 3 ner: he las of an ert ‘Shp that rovled from the "Mote to Now Scotland's solr system In order to rake such a ing posse, Poumele svetenes the sciontfe posses as far os he can, ‘Tho ship's. aghe-sal S000 uometes 22r085, wider thon Eats Moon, Its ares ‘out 8,000,000 square lomaters and yet, {hella ftesalands pvosscon taining 8 or 70 ntebigent neatly human-size Bangs sont 450 tone! (The sen begs re eprtrozen or thelong tie that voyage Feauves ‘Now, even ignoring the mass of the paylcad, what posable substance = even 3 Fabricwith a reflecting surface ~ could have uch properties? Let us suppose a fabric so liom thats density i only 196 tnt of wate ‘The icknoss ofthat fare Would hen have to'be 80 Angstam Units about 3 or 4 layers of moleetes! I the starship can’t pickup its own ight ‘sit goes along, cant pik up ts own hyaro- ‘gon? Ths the idea behind the "Bussard Famjot.” trom 2, 1980 speculation by the nginar Rebert Bussard. Hydrogen it ater Sil the most abundont ement in the Universe, and even in nterstallar space there ‘San averoge of one hycrogen atom per ubiecentimster. On ‘cube of appar ‘eters 109 sige, would actualy contain one ‘entre gram of hydrogen. If this hydeogen hsppened to be chera ‘edelecticaly ~ sreasonableassumpton = It could’ be’ scooped up by 2 powerful ‘magnet filléatachod to 2 spaceship mov: ing” tough Some. of the. collected hydrogen woul be used for fusion, and the ‘est would be expelled as reaction mass, ur ing the energy developed from tna fusion ‘There would be no mt to the amount of avalable fuel, ara no lint other than the ‘oloaty ofight to th ship's veloc. ‘But Bssard's elegantly simple concopt ‘develops @ great man feu it ex ‘amined carefully. the ship s moving with Fespect to the Mystagen store, the hyaro. (en toms are moving with repect 10 the Ship. I ther rlgive velocity Is 99% that of light, mon tho ship isin eect bong bor bardod bya low-density beam of 6 Gev po. tons, "its easy to predict whet would Rap pen.” wates Aion Berry, whois cortaniy fot unfendly to the concept of intestolar ‘aval “the Jourey woule never be om: ‘leted beceuse the ship Would ragront From overheating, andthe peop in would erred. ‘Unmanned ramjets might stil be ea5- ble, and in Lary Niver's ming stretching series of “Known Space storas, they 18 Used as probes to find and sand back rio Feports. shout possible habitable. planets ory rimsat in Te ren Sun, suggests tt Unmanned anjets might eoloet enough in terse junk fo anabie he human race fo Construct black hale Even Slower than Light IK methods of Interstar vavel that ‘alow you To pick Up energy on tho Way a6 Improstcal, the ones for which you Toad up ‘veryting in advan ae even more imprac teal In Aros #1 No, You're Nor Gain to the Stare th dffeutes with total ann ton of mater with antimattr were ‘scussed. With the essumption of 100% Conversion a fuels into energy, tha ton egeroauird for vips compat n raion ‘ath the human ietime was far 100 Oat [Attar totalanainiation, the next mest et ‘Gent method shycrogon fusion, which con- ort 0.5% ofthe ua mass int onergy. The ton diva (. 0000059) oF mere choral Fecket fone thousandth 8 good 8 the ton hve are even moreioractial Ina base reaction deve, the grater the ‘momentum that can be produced inthe ex Faust, tho. greater the opposte onward ‘momentum tat can drive te spec sh. For anything consvainod to crawl at speeds ‘olow those of ight (30,000 klomaters pt second), momentum is simply mass ger haps adjusted for elavste eer) nes velocity For ight, momentum ineoases ‘with bath the intensity andthe frequency ef theemittodradiaton Obviously, nothing is going to be ject rom ine space ston at 2 vlocty ‘rear thon that of hgh. However, partes fitted a lower vloatis, but possosaing ‘more momentum, might be capable of inacting more forward momentum. A seareh- Fgh doesnt “kek Ikea chotgu Tons ~ chalgedatoms ~ wore frst sug- ested for spaceship propulsion in- ‘ependenty, by Rabert Goddarin TO08 and Hermann Oserth in 1829. After losing an sectron oF two epiece, metal ators would be accelerated ineary by means of 3 power fuleleetrosiati eld, up to veloites cose to that of light. Thesa fons would then be ‘ected, providing the momentum to deve ‘heship inthe opposte drecton. "To prowdo the lectrostate fed, the Ship woud have to have. an enormous ‘apocity to generate electrcty. For every ound of thrust, 2100 blowatts ef power "Would have to be provided. Sucha Generator ‘would weigh about 4 metic tons. The oto" (f generators ths size woul have to bo £0 large that thet gyroscope. elfoct would ‘Seroualy foc the steering of heship, ‘Alternatively the rateral tobe sected ‘might be heated ip tothe plasma state. Ths ‘WouIG also requite huge omounts of loc ‘es! power If suciear fusion or mater: antimatter annlaon is gong tbe used to Brovie this electical power, wy not jst lve fo ive the spaceship ithe fst pace, and elminate the necessity for those ener- ‘mous gonerators? ‘Simple reaction rive wi be unable to propel a ship the Tong stance between Stars, ther economically arent. Generation Ships: Wal, then, we can bend one of the parameters ofthe problem. Supposawe ake {pa suggestion fom Rober A. Hoiniin’s lass 1B4Tnovelette Universe and mak the time of tho tip much longor than @ human IMetime. Tis gs us the famous “gonara ‘on ship," on Board wisn many. gone {ons af human beings Ive ond ch whe tho ‘hip wudges through nterstelsspnce atthe limping paco of nucear fusion towards 9 sdestaion se centuries ogo.on Earth "The generation Sp dose not eliminate tho stientiic problem, but Spy trator ‘tom tha physeal sciences to the mich more ‘sive diciplies ofthe biological and oc ‘SSences. The sp would have to be Dull as Planets indoed, some auggestons sasure {hat we tke an asteroid asthe basis Tor the ship, ollow itout, and instal ine ecosystem ‘teenth upon tat far a feasible von then the starship would not be ‘entirly se contained. it would have to be ‘scodletated away from the solr syst, and ‘Would therefore have to exaust some mat ter. Provisions for correcting the course ‘ould Rave to be ncuded. A deceeretion ‘System would have tobe installed so simple ‘hat it could be operated by people who knew about solar Syste ony From Books, Sand so complex hat it oougbring 93 vires Fait an object the size of smal stor which had boon hurting through space for ‘antares, AS Hienein realized, the human pro blem would be greater than the techn problem. Suppose you were Bern ino. 3 ‘Generation ship's population about may in ts voyage, and tained 3 technican You woulseam that you were going routine work en the err of poopie who had boon ‘cea for antares, fo fh utimete Dena of eople who would not be bom for conta, ‘Fug no fault of your own you were teted toe win aeeumsertiadenaan trent wile beck home bien enjoyed te {rendomotepianetrysutoen, ond are? st expences wien you cols ony dimty Spprcnend rom the works of icon nthe She's leary The generation sp would Hein so sosratay foresaw, few Stenoten,revat, and ultimate rpcton ot ‘he porpoiae of the shp'amatarenlon’s Gonoraton ship es completely forgoton te urpes, onahes sted ntoaroutne under BS ripous dcatorsp which he red he inetsle mutiny ino 9"mh compere ‘win Locters arom Heaven Black Holes OF course, most science Seton thet oats with intrstolr adventure jt igre these considerations, The vice that takes {he hore trom Guy IX to Fara Vl ust ox tien Bother withthe echnical det. "Thereal rouble trom the phates sides the special theory of rlatvty, whch ro ‘ies the reatonships among mass, time, land eneray consumption that make inter” Stolar revel aifeut to accomplish Inreas- ingly, fewer scholss are ying to refute the spedial theory of reatwty akopatner In Stead, thay look for fegons or sondions wheres sasumptions do not apply, and eee whether something canbe worked out ‘The two laws which right "yum" the special thoory of eltivy are the genera theory of elatty ord quantum theory. The ‘gonerl theory of relat takee aver fom the spocal thoery for large gravitational fais, whie quantum effects become signi- ‘cant "for entemaly “smal! parties ond fanges. The dtinon of "exromely small In'ths contest fs more lke an ator than 2 Spaceship, to quantum etfects ean be red (ut. Weave uniksy (0 gat intestela ravel bby manipulating =” spaceships probsbiity fnction so that, nstoad of exiting the un with 2 probably of 9.96009, sudenty ‘ofits Sinus wit ths probability, ‘Tho general theory of relat is ‘another matter. pedis that @suftoenty ‘massive Sar wil eolapse without hit whan itis no longer able o gain energy by nuclear fusion, and that eventual wil becom = nse'that not even light wil beable to scape from i. Thus are produced the famous "blackholes “To be lrge enough to collapse into 8 back hoe, a str must end its carbo wth at Teast theo ties the mass of the sun. Ths Dts alowor mt on to mess ofa back hole formed by stalarcolspse, The upoer limits pacoa by tho fact that ony 8 very Few stars Fave masses more than ton tmoe that of ths Sun. Thedensiy andspin of asta are realy ‘hanged when becomes a biace hole, but its mass and hence ts gravitation pul re LUnatected at stole stances (Naaeby, they ‘il exort tal etfocts that wil tar beets apart Black holes, thus formed, would ‘ange in dametor fom 18 10 60 kilometers, "The earth ard the sun have equotoca bulges because they rotate on toi ake, ane {vor the black hale snot exemat fom this fequrement. Between tho surfaco of the Bulge, and the inten surface where bah Sat guped down for 9000, i 9 region that 'S at east theoretically possible to ehtor and reaveagarn “Thi region is very tempting to scionce and soence‘ction writes Suppese your p20e ship matches speeds with hespinnng ‘auatoral bulge ote lack hole, ond then friars it con be demonstrated. from Telaty tat particle can fall into 2 spi hing back oo, or an elecricaly charged ‘one, and folow a trsectory which wil ing cat elocwhere. Wile the word “elsewhere snot too precisely defined, or Sefrabl tfcoks asf we atlast have the i Setirable “hyperspace” through which Scance‘icion writers. have been sending {aster shanght spaceships for decades, First of course, you have to find your black holo. Thereis en abjectin the tection of the constalaion Cygrus which is giving fff Kays. This might be due to matter Spratng down nto Block hole, ence such ‘patter loses energy inthe form of X1ays ‘Ths object i caleg Cygnus X-1, and is one component of a souble star system HOE 2a6e88. I Cygnus XT aback le, has 3 ‘mass of about 10 solar masses, the Due ‘hit star which aceompanies is about 90 Solar masses n 26 ands about one thas fa: rom theoresumod black Roleas the earth is trom the sun. Much ofthe mattr thats fang into thebiack holes presumably emt tedfram tacompanion ‘Obviously this sytom was once apa of very massive but otherwise normal sts ‘Tha more massive a saris, th more rapsy | evoles, 80 the object wich we now Suspect 16 2 block hole fon tough te 190s faster. In doing sot got rid ef most fits ass, since the stl shining sa" 9 now tivee "times 99 massive atthe other Presumably the other hal of HDE 228808 wil ‘Someday go out the same way, and Cygnus Xlwnbeadaublabiack hole, ‘Cygnus X-1 sbout 6000 ight years ‘away. Hh itis a black hele, i the nooest fone. Even if the speculations sbout i ‘Stl travel through black holes ae correct, ‘we'd frst have to travel thvough 6000 ght years of space to goto one. ‘AS we beter our brain against the ap parent imoessoity of intrstolar ave is Impossible to keep fom aaring tbe genius of Albert Einstein. This modest, sol efocng ‘man put together some idess that have Setled two generevons of ontesm: sien- tie, technaiegial, and politcal Every fexparimental check thats possible to make Supports ideas that seomed shoe: groundless Speculation whan he fst put her forward. Ennstein's prture of the universe continues, 2 quarter eantury after nis death 10 ston and togrowinstrength We wouldiove tobe fable to inspect at close hand the stange ‘Companion af Sinus, orcolonze the planets (t Data Pavoni, oF sondaresoerch ship into ‘he Orion Nebula. But between us and these lesan prospects stands the unanswerable Wworkolthisgreat genus ml8 NON-FICTION Miniature Spaceships a capsule Summary of Models ‘Space ship minatwes, and the rule for using them in pay, popped inte existonce Shorty after the advent of the taevsion Sores, Sar Tok. Ths popular show, which promnenty featured the highly dotaled Enterprise cass star cruiser "prompted ‘Jomers to simulate the opie star bare be foun the space foreee of the Klingons, Fomulans, and the Fodoraton. Lou Zoce venture gaming entepeneur, was the fst fo introguse a se. of space ship rules — a tyetom played onthe floor using cardboard ars and head. Betorelong, gamers Dagon Using whstever minature space vessels were Bvaiable to roplace the cardboard. AS mare [tention wae row to both matures and Science. iston gaming, ather companies Bogan to introduce ines of space ships a8 Wwelassts of layaberules, ‘The use of mniaturesin gars can best tatwe game. The Stor Flot Battle Manual foceh and Zurtickl uses a cardboard Cie ‘sith 2260" caltration sroune the edge, An vemos view of the ship appears on the Sse, ond a Bootkeopng sheet renores omage, weapons, movernent, id power Slocatons. To fee, 9 player examines the Boston of his opponent's shin relation to his own and then calculates lor makes = (Quest tl ine fra througha degre along {heise edge. A uieadss stretched beweon the centers of the asc long the chosen ‘ogres, the thre intrsact hash, te ‘enemys ht and the ine of intersection in ‘cates where it took the. damage. Ate ‘damage & assessed and recorded, counter. five 3 inated. Other Yactors, Such as tsunehing photon torpedoes and powering shed, areincludodin thet soauence More. resent Game Designers Workshop has brought out ther excflent science felon roleplaying game, Treveler {soo the revew in tus Save) and refined [ster game coms ith canvertional Ros sheet, but is wall sated for use ith minatures. There ie stil the need for 2 Separate bookkeeping sheet to keep rack of the deta of ploy, but GOW has ded now tosis. Piayors sign ther shes, nstaling armament and computer systems 10 sut thai tastes" Movemant uses an nartia-wee tor system, and combst maneuvers are handled by the. ship's computers. How mart” the computer is detersnes how tte, it can "knew" and propery utze ‘There area number of other setsof ues fon the market, but allshre sige choracter. istics" fow unit density (two to si hips {otal, ‘separate ‘bookkeeping records of ‘reat or sear deta, an Sescnptions ot Fgh eregy beam aser) ond misale wespons itis not suprising that mast of the ‘miniatures onthe rarket ae patterned alter the popular StarTrek and Stor Ws space Shs. The simple, clean ines of the Entor prse convast songiy wath the, baroque, highly complex design ofthe Star Destroyor [AS important as the cast ofthe Shp taal the appletion of paint, most ships look best ‘hon gwen 8 white base, off white, and & ‘nat of gray or Back to bring out tne dota ‘Too much or too many colores in the sare appearance of 3 space-going vesse while 2 Semple whte “pprayparning wl ‘rake the ship boring, Painting minstutes's ‘5ubte st, due to thokmited size nvalved “The. iout major" manufactures of spaceship ‘ministures Ste "Lou Zocehs Valent, Supenon, and. Eisenwerk. Each ‘monulscturer otters a sitferent ook in thet line of mage “The Zoce gures are modead on Star Trek vessels, including the sompite Tne offor SF Gaming by mMichaet witiner Ships that appear onthe show and additonal models exttepoated Irom tn sores Most of the figures we load castings, but tare ast models as. wel (het ince Desphotescent, “glowin the dark" ships for those who have figured out Now to play the gamesin the dork! The ships are sme, {et cary sullicont dealt ook interesting When painted. The ses vary, and they ae Drcaain the s3cange, “The Valiant ships have unique design. Te ene ine s hypothetia,and they tard to'be malo: than Zocen's ships The sips ‘avea Star Ware fea, wth many tle burps land doodads that may be interpreted a= weapon’, access bays, et, the deta work ‘Saute good. The fine appears t0 break own into. Destroyer ane Cruise cass Veskls, wth large task forces. and Het ‘Sxganiatone. The shies appear to be Highly omoderately armed, cepenaing on support fromsstrstipsincombat. The hguesrun 3 tod incresby i 10 inches, and are prices srounasa ‘The Superior line is. extemely ie posse; ther ships ao aly massive The ‘ame type ships run a large 2s 6 by Sine wedges of Sold lead. The super Gotaieg,tnely crafted gues put Superior PHOTOGRAMS BY REDMOND SIMONSEN atthgtopof thelist. ‘Spero also uses the Star Wars ook in thai tne, ottering ornate and detalag sur {ace pattcens Tho ine seems to be desgred ‘with the daa of 2 "ane ship fet. The mon Ser vessels pack engugh nepower to level 8 \Wholosolar system Thesmslr spss to 2 inches! seem hopwessy outmatched by thoi big sisters The larger shige also set 94 ‘ara carers,” sineethey core wth four to aight my ghiersin the box (The fighters lack deta end ote awvenord to handle pay) The price tag for this line hgh. 420 forne giant"Ring” space station. and an average $6 for the others. Some smal ‘ypesareavalabiopacted two ina box "The Elenwerk ne fs not parcuary a2 he Valentine angareota simu des Betas are lacking. thy tend to took mero tke ogarttes wth bums and roges than space sips. One might argue, however, thet ‘al space ships would tend (910k ike the Efsormerk line athe than the prety designs fof sien ction art These shine are quite Serweable in play and are reasonably priced inthe sarenge “The whole fed of space ship miniatures 's bopinning to enjoy wider pubic attanton More companies are offering shies, and ch year The pressure of companion Should cause manufacturers to upgrade anc fxtond thar ines. The strshio capt fo fay can nga wide aay of minature is focal hobby store to se when cut hunting Kingons [A special thanks to Lou Zocehi and The Compleat Stategst fr ther asitonce For further information about the ines of Space ship minatures, contact the folowing companies: erwark Indus, lc 108 Pasadena Freeway Pasadena, TX 7798 Superior Modes, Inc POBox Cioymont, OF 19708, Valant Enterprises, La 7 Hexory Comes Brtoe 60002 Zocehi Distributors (Gamescence Corp.) 808% Newton Blige, MS 952mm10 GC. Edmondson, ee Books, $2 ‘The Magic Labyrinth, Phi Joso Farmer, Berkley Books, 311 ‘The Numbar of The Beast, Rober A Hernia, Fawcett Books, 90.95 ‘The Dancers of Arun, Elizabeth &. Lyon, Berkley Books, $1 35 ifekeeper, hike McOuay, ‘Avan Boots, $225 Ironbrand, Jona Nortessy, Playboy Pres, $2.25 ‘The Light Bearer, Sam Nichotson, Berkley Books, 8195, Roadmarks, Aoge: Zolazny. Dal Rey Books, 9225, SCIENCE FICTION What is wrong with daddy Hein? ‘Athough he can st write beter than any tenmen, tetera no doubt that hs ast tw hovel, | Wi Fear No Eu and Time Encaugh for Love. were dcappainment; they ware hg, rambling structures with many enter taming elements thot, inthe final analy, The Numboraf the Baast'sno dierent ‘ebogins mol anough Zeb hn Carton fang his wie Desh Thor, and his fathom law Jako Burroughs ante Hi, after 9 tit segment im which those mariage are rather abrupt brought about chm into “Jake's time machine and head off into te now ured by via, The vane Be nasty alons wine aso Rave tho soto o time travel not so much tine travel a8 Intar-versal travel —— ane ont to stop humanity before gains the same know edge. Alter saver false star's, hey vst 9 Sniverse im hich Bran the maior power Tolpe along bys Amencan colores! and Marsis a penal olony ~ rather romsniscent ‘of Space 189, aetaly, The reser fe ae bared for further adventures ross the en ff time a6 our heroes ght the vilanous Sens ad iberatehumarsty rom tet crt {up ~ when the nove bogins to pater out The alors isappear in tha shut, and out heroes mect up with Lazorus Long and en ‘outage remember thom? Heinoms fortes fast acton, taht pot ting, ond nttigent characters Hs style oF tenting not well sulted for stores hh Seam fo go nowhere. There are those wh fan pul Such stones off usualy by making the characters, rather han the Pot. the focus nterest: Prip Dick sone Such But ‘doeen'tsut Heian “is isnot to sy you shouldnt The Mumbor of the Boast. Noone writes ke Heinion, and what sa alsappointmant for rim woud be a smashing success Hom Roger Zelazny’s Raadmarksis a asap ointment for some of tha same easona, i Saal withthe Road ~ a thoroughfare that runs through alltime and many diferent Feats Mrchanges lowly over "tine exits ‘nd tributaries which are not wel traveled {odiby design Asta stoops Re akeen, thahero,fssmugging as tothe Groake at Marathon — whch he vagly smarbets, Na, In Ns youth, wo tha at tle Bu the road to the word whore that bat tle wes won has net been wel ravelad, and that worldhas disappeared ‘Tha consspt fascinating, and wit all of eartt’s history and. posse history 10 ‘Choose from, the posses fr plot Com plestions are immense. But the sory goes tf ona tangent Dovakeen 1 pursued by ‘seas andby his Son. Drogont coma into {he picture and whe tore arianly 2 po, itis 9 pot to when the Road Is ently tangentat Nonetheless, Roadmarks sa fun book = and, rom snyonebut Zelazny, Rwoulgbe Considered tourde fore. ts major acu {iy would seem fo be that Zeazny ted to {force too many ideas into alergth unsuited {or thr, thus bang unable fo ep a of ‘those doast sataying fulness. as scr ob tina fr appa pent trom major authors” Another 6 PJ Fotmer's The Magic Labyrnin {aby tne second hal of The Dark ‘Desig, and therefore te fourth book n the Fverorld sens. In thi the concluding captor, Burton and frends nay make to the neadwatars of the River” Humans. 0 the prewaus volumes, was esunected 399 Both banks of en mmense rive owng tom ‘he north poe ofa planet back tome norm pole'ipresumably there is a gant pump, Eomewnere, keeping going Everyone storys thee, save for those who hed belore ther fourth year al naked. apy rota argaxtemaiy tare, but heneeds ofa {te prouded for by Grail, boxes in which food and other nevesstes appear at ach rmeatime. ‘The questons. area. Why NaS hhumanty surocted? Wino resuractad i? ‘Wats the natte of ths planet and os Fiver? Naturally, ary men soot to anew these questions. Atthe st, Burton and hs ‘Compa succeed, With four volumes t build tothe con: ‘clusion, and decade to thnk the mater ‘ver, ong expects gaat things Instead, the Serato ho urwesso as roveaied by Farmer 40m hardly worth the pursut. Many of Farmer's previous works were buit s/0und the same sort of quest the Wold of Tow Safes, Tor instance, contains the sme ort (of questions Those quostons. are more Saisfoctriy answered, However. Famers 2 superb wren but he Riverworig sera 19 ‘te promiss cling twists and amore Fovelations wich Farmer 1 unoble to Gelver. One eannot but suspect that this ‘ype of work the pursuit by characters of Snexplanstion orn unusual world — inet ‘hetype of work for which Farmar cutout 6.C. Eamondson’s The Man Who Cor. ‘rupted Earths something of acrossbetween Hoinisn’s The Man Who Sold the Moon nd the spate of US novels wo've bean soeing Fecerty. This n't surging, the situation the space enthusasis faced inthe 60's and Mt hey face today enaaby iy future ayn space ane that the exploitation of space promised innumerable benefits for ‘mankind. Then as now, space entmusasts ‘Were viewed as nuts. Aind then as nowt twas thought that oniy remarkable coum: Stances could bring about tha oxpitationn time ~ one such oreumstancs might be the \ilingness ofa eh eccenticto ak {Gus Damper is sun a "ich eccantic ‘Swingled out ofthe dvectrshp of his com pany by an ungratlul sonimiaw and {urbed sharenolaers, ne facas aie a ete ‘ment and galing ~ 2 depressing orospoct Rpatoacned yan Atab pluteert who ‘wishes 10 assute the future ol he country ater the runs out, he soeroty marshals Ns forces and al availble cash to expla space The Man Who Corrupted Earth is as ark 3s fim nor. The word's wolent and un Dredctabe, the establishment oppressive lind corupt. Edmondson seoms convinced that, von yet, white Anglo Soxon males ‘ominste American society and continue a ‘fscrimnate goat everyone wine Isn't s ‘waite Anglo-Saxon male te supremely pessimistic novel stm what amounts to 9 Fapay ending nonetheess, The chracters ‘must struggle wth forvtude against al odds to ensure both ther own wealth an the su ‘Wwelot maning ~ and they succeed The tan Whe Corrupted Earth's only ‘the second novel 'vaseen by Edmondson = the excelent Yond recent reprinted) The ‘Shp that Safed the Time Stream 1s the ‘ther One amare the nant eagerly, Eamon (ChistopherAnvits The Stee the Mist, ‘andthe Blazing Sum is 2 back that rates on Ghon the revawneter. I takes pace In 2ist Gantry world mn wich both America ‘nd tho Sovelunion hove ben pretty much estioved by wet sooms to have bean ¢ World War The Soviets dominate Western Europe, and only recent an invason of ‘America has boon repeles. America has {inaly begun :6 revtaize under the fader ship of Aral, who iwshes to iberate a of the Land ofthe O'Cracy's rom Russian ele He invados Europe and ith the ago native partisans, succeeds in hs plan — but ‘Secovers that hs wetery 6 Heting, Tor the ‘nem snot telly Russ (as devastated ar ‘meres but a underground sony that keown simply ae S| "The novels readable and a sutableway tokilafew hous, but the premises not tr bly. srginal the wrting not tery i ferosting, the pot not trrbly gnpping, (One wonders wy Anal tes. Miko McQuay’ Lfekeapor's 300 pages of taking heads "The premise seome to be {hat the wort! ¢ dominated by matay he tatorsgs at war wth one another an tot everyone ives n sanitary, seated ties, whe ‘cutsde, the. barbarian roam The “pre tagonst, Boral Oulon 1s a7 Excoptiona and { Blontied computer programmer Most of the novel deals wth anextondedrelabonshig Dberwoen Dulan onda woman, butin act tis frosty about the fal of Ms eutizaton. In Term, ie the iverword sore, ste tory ff the search Toran explanation for an usuatwons tis that he wating persis poor, the words string thamsalves together n periat Ivrecogauable sentences oteopereutars