Strange Worlds: Ice Planets by Kim Frandsen is a role playing game supplement published by Fat Goblin Games for use with the Starfinder Roleplaying Game. As such, it is covered by the Open Game License and some parts are considered to be Open Game Content as a result.
This is a 16 page PDF that is available from DriveThruRPG for $2.94 but was purchased at a greatly reduced price as part of a special bundle. One page is the front cover, one the front matter, one the Contents, one an ad for other supplements and one is the Open Game License.
The single-page Introduction gives an overview of icy worlds, the aim of this series of supplements and explains that some of the information is reproduced from the core rulebook so that everything needed to run a game on an ice planet is in the same place.
Environment starts by saying how ice planets would appear; that most of the surface is covered in frozen plains and glaciers with only small tropical zones, if any (and that definition of tropical may actually only mean that water melts, rather than truly tropical; however, this is not stated one way or the other). Likely temperature ranges on the planet are given – ranging from cold to unliveable – but only in Fahrenheit; a bit of a comfort detriment to any who use Celsius (i.e., most of the planet). The effects of these temperatures are given, which includes on food and water, as well as on corpses. Such cold temperatures mean that corpses do not deteriorate from a raise dead point until brought into warmer areas, allowing centuries- or millennia-old corpses to be successfully revived (this is the only mention of magic in the supplement). The problems with visibility and terrain are also covered; snow dazzle can mean on a clear day that visibility is actually poor.
Equipment has cold-weather gear, ground penetrating radar, heating unit, snow goggles and snowspeeder (the last sounding to have been lifted from The Empire Strikes Back). There is a table summarising the new equipment.
Creatures of the Ice has new monsters. The Deep Cetacean is a tentacled cetacean that can breathe water and live under the ice. The Ice Biter is a nuisance creature that steals food. The Snow Goat is a food animal and mount. Finally, the Tarrihdan is an intelligent creature that builds thrones and palaces hoping to attract their lord who will cover the entire universe in an ice age.
Strange Worlds: Ice Planets in Review
The PDF is bookmarked and the Contents are as thorough and also hyperlinked. Navigation is very good. The text maintains a two column full colour format and some minor errors were noticed. There are a number of colour illustrations including some for equipment and monsters – sadly one of the monsters lacks an image. Presentation is very good.
Some of the wording is less clear than it could be and not having both Fahrenheit and Celsius is poor. Although oceans on ice planets are likely to have liquid water well below the surface, it does seem a trifle strange to have one of only four monsters be such; characters are far more likely to spend time on the surface of an ice world than venture beneath the oceans. Of the other three monsters, the Ice Biter and Snow Goat feel more like filler – neither is truly an enemy creature. Only the Tarrihdan sounds interesting and it is very sparsely described. It is also strange, given that Starfinder uses magic as well as technology, that there is no related magic included. All in all, the supplement feels a bit on the brief side; there is some good information included but there’s also a feel that far more information could have been added and that it is a lost opportunity. Something double the length with more and better monsters and magic would have been good. Strange Worlds: Ice Planets can be found by clicking here.
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