A Review of the Role Playing Game Supplement Outer Planet Guide, Volume 1.0

Outer Planet Guide, Volume 1.0 by Dave Woodrum is a generic role playing game supplement published by Fishwife Games.

The supplement is available as an 8-page PDF from DriveThruRPG for $2 but was purchased at a reduced price during a sale. One page is the front cover.

The opening paragraphs explain that the supplement contains six new worlds for filling in the gaps in a space campaign, worlds around less important stars at the borders of space. Each of the six planets is then covered.

Each planet follows the same format. Listed are its name, diameter (not gravity, though), moons, day and year cycle, biome, atmosphere, notable hazards, population, outlook, corruption level, tech level, economy, major imports and exports, a description and an adventure hook. Each also has an image of the planet and several have conversion notes taking up blank space. Most of the planets are pretty hostile for one reason or another, whether that’s due to how they are governed, what sort of planet they are or both.

Outer Planet Guide, Volume 1.0 in Review

The PDF lacks bookmarks and is short enough that they aren’t needed, though they would have been appreciated. Navigation is okay. The text maintains a single column format and appeared to be mostly free of errors. Each planet, as mentioned, has an illustration; they aren’t brilliant, but it’s nice to have them. Presentation is okay.

With this being generic, work will be needed to convert the planets to a system. This may or may not be a lot of work, but it will need doing. It is a bit odd that gravity isn’t mentioned, because the diameter of the planets varies a lot, and they shouldn’t have the same gravity with that much variance. The adventure hooks provide an idea for using a planet. This isn’t a perfect supplement but it’s inexpensive and can easily be useful with a bit of work. Outer Planet Guide, Volume 1.0 can be found by clicking here.