The Babylon Project

In case anyone does not know yet:

I was looking at the FAQ page for the Babylon Project RPG being released on
Thursday (USA only) and almost fell off my chair when I read the following:

> Does the game include a space combat system?
includes a great ship-to-ship combat system:
> streamlined yet realistic, and easily scalable for use with the small

This is just too cool.

> mangaman@garlic.com wrote:

> This is just too cool.

In the immortal words of Hamlet "Buz, buz." (Act II, Sc. II)

My primary question is how well can these rules be modified for FT? Later,

I was under the impression that the space combat rules in The Babylon Project
would be very much like Full Thrust, but there wouldn't be ship design systems
or points given, just a smattering of sample ships.

> mangaman@garlic.com wrote:
Thats just it, they won't have to be modified since they are already being
written by the father of FT.

> I was under the impression that the space combat rules in The Babylon

> design systems or points given, just a smattering of sample ships.

Which is fiiiiiinne with me.  :-)  Finally get to see what an
'official' version of the Omega and Roosevelt ships are like
(and maybe others?? :-} ).

Mk

> On Thu, 6 Mar 1997 mangaman@garlic.com wrote:

> In case anyone does not know yet:

        Anyone got any news on a UK/Europe release, or know of anyone
prepared to export this marvelous product to us poor Brits.... Not only do we
have to wait for the show, we have to wait for the game too.... If it wern't
for the video releases I'd be forced to move to the States:)

-Michael

> Someone wrote:
:
> The system is being designed by

Way to go Jon!:)

Well, as I said in an earlier post, Hobbygames list it in their catalogue, but
when my local shop tried to order it they were told "it was not yet

available". My advice would be to find a shop that does RPG stuff and pester
them to order it from Hobbygames. If you tell 'em its the OFFICIAL B5 RPG,
they'll probably jump at the chance.

Mike Elliott

______________________________ Reply Separator

I heard that Titan had the rights and were going to issue a combined hardback
of the main back and the first supplement featuring the earth forces and the
starship combat system. I'm not quite sure where I read this, so if anyone can
confirm or deny it...

> I heard that Titan had the rights and were going to issue a combined

As far as I understand the situation, Titan have the UK rights to the RPG and
supplements, and are supposed to be printing the UK edition sometime around
June. I assumed it would be released in the same way as the US
version, ie: the RPG book first then the supplements to follow - but
then again maybe the above info is correct? I gather the US edition is now
finally out (or at least due any day
now),
but the legal position forbids any US source selling to UK stockists - I
think it MAY even be impossible to directly mail-order it from the US to
the UK, though I'm not sure how this would be enforced; I guess it will be up
to the individual US stockists as to whether they will accept foreign
mailorders. AFAIK, Hobbygames and other UK distributors cannot LEGALLY get any
until Titan releases the UK edition.

Hope this helps settle the many differing rumours!

> I gather the US edition is now finally out (or at least due any day

Any day now. I spoke to my local games retailer/warehouse and they said
a guaranteed friday release.

For those of you here in the States, that's for B'more vicinity. I'd imagine
it'd be the same elsewhere.

Mk

> At 18:23 10/03/97 +0000, you wrote:
Thanks for clarifying the situation but as a (admittedly fairly cynical)
neutral observer I really can't see this getting enforced. The only other area
I can think of where this sort of territorial marketing is used is the console
video game industry and in that it's widely ignored. After all, how are they
supposed to even attempt to enforce it? By what law does the company have
rights to look into the lists of where the suppliers ship to? And what's to
stop (just as an example *Cough*) some of the american members of this list
buying copies for people outside the US and sending them on? It's not like the
video tapes or computer games where you have
problems re NTSC/PAL. A book is a book is a book..

The effect of this sort of thing is that those who actually want the thing get
it anyway and those who aren't bothered wait. Result? European sales of the B5
RPG will be slightly depressed and US ones will be slightly increased but
other than that it's a farce. I may wait until the UK release comes out myself
as I'm not slavering for it and I just bought the Bubblegum Crisis RPG so I'm
skint..

                        TTFN
                                Jon

Absolutely Barking Stars wrote
> Thanks for clarifying the situation but as a (admittedly fairly

There's always the big stick option as used by a few of the CCG companies to
enforce regional distribution: Any distributor found to be supplying to a
closed market and any retailer buying from out of their
market will be cut off - no more stock ever.

How do the suppliers find out? The offenders' competition tell them!

Personal transactions cannot be controlled in this way, only trade levels.