Starlord (play-by-mail game)

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Starlord was a play-by-mail game that was designed and moderated by Mike Singleton.

Publication history[]

Mike Singleton moderated Starlord using his Commodore PET.[1]

Starlord was based on a 1977 board game of the same name invented by Gary Bedrosian and Lee Elmendorf.[citation needed]

Gameplay[]

The game depicted a galactic empire on the decline, in a 1000-star galaxy, in which 50 players took the part of "starlords" trying to become emperor by conquering the Throne Star.[2] At the outset, players controlled one Base Star out of 1,000 available.[3] The "Empyr" controlled the non-assigned stars, "with up to ten ships at each and several hundred at the central Throne Star".[3] However, "sadly, the last Emperor has died, and the Empyr is run by imperial computers", proving an opportunity for players to seize the throne.[3] A player that took the Throne Star received various benefits, including control of the Empyr's forces and free turns, but also acquired "up to 49 enemies".[3]

Lee Simpson noted in the Winter 1983 issue of Flagship magazine that "Mike Singleton has since admitted, in earlier Starlord games the Throne Star was initially too lightly garrisoned", allowing players to become Emperor early in the game.[3]

Reception[]

W.G. Armintrout reviewed Starlord in The Space Gamer No. 49.[2] Armintrout commented that "In my opinion, Starlord is one of the top five PBM games going. I highly recommend it to all gamers, even those who have never yet tried this type of game."[2]

In the April 1983 edition of Dragon (Issue 72), Michael Gray stated "A player who becomes Emperor early in a game, and is then dethroned and eliminated, may still win the game by accumulating lots of points during his or her reign. But with 50 players per game, Starlord could take many years to complete."[4]

W.G. Armintrout reviewed Starlord again in The Space Gamer No. 63.[5] Armintrout commented that "Starlord continues to receive my highest recommendation – a masterpiece of game design, ridiculously easy to play yet moderately challenging. Those who have never tried PBM could start here. I have only two quibbles: You can't choose your player name (you are named after your Base Star), and the map should have a circular frame."[5]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "» Mike Singleton and The Lords of Midnight The Digital Antiquarian". Filfre.net. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Armintrout, W.G. (March 1982). "Featured Review: Starlord". The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (49): 12–13.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Simpson, Lee (Winter 1983). "The View from the Throne". Flagship Magazine. No. 1. pp. 4–6.
  4. ^ Gray, Michael (April 1983). "The PBM scene: Facts you can use when YOU choose what game to play". Dragon. TSR, Inc. (72): 31.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Armintrout, W.G. (May–June 1983). "Star Mail: Three New PBM Space Games". The Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (63): 6–8.
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