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I found an ancient manuscript from the eons old year of 1985...

It was an interesting year, Ronald Regan began his second term, Australlia started broadcasting on AM frequency, the Discovery Channel was invented, and Citadel released a little gem called "The Citadel Journals, Spring '85'"



What is Citadel? Any Warhammer/40k fan would mock you for such a question...

But something interesting can be found amongst the relics of forgotten times...



Let's take a closer look at the first letter...



PLASTIC!? PLASTIC IS SO STUPID!

What a great find!

I'm more interested in the letter asking when Rogue Trader is coming out, it would be 2 more years before that hit the stores. I wonder how word got out in those pre-internet days?

can you show us more from it?

People had been playing games in the 'Imperium of the 41st millenium' since Laserburn came out in 80-81. Rogue trader was a consolidation of that existing market.

George Spiggott wrote:People had been playing games in the 'Imperium of the 41st millenium' since Laserburn came out in 80-81. Rogue trader was a consolidation of that existing market.

I did not know that. I thought RT launched the whole thing.

Anyone have a copy of Laserburn and feel like doing a review of it?

I've got Laserburn but it's in Japan. I might be able to pick it up in a couple of weeks.

The rules and figures are still available.

Dunno about anyone else but I'd be interested in seeing it. Heck if it's in Japan I could just pop up the road and pick it up

I'd be most itnerested in the fluff. I've lost enough SAN to GW's 80s rules.

Laserburn can be found here.

There are parallels with this and Adeptus Titanicus which GW released into the existing Battletech market and Warhammer which moved into the previously abundant 25mm fantasy battles market.

I'll be darned. If I didn't know any better (which I think I don't) then I would think that GW just stole a crudload of stuff from LaserBurn and Dune.

Vladsimpaler wrote:I'll be darned. If I didn't know any better (which I think I don't) then I would think that GW just stole a crudload of stuff from LaserBurn and Dune.

GW stole nothing from Laserburn, check the author one Bryan Ansell (former MD of GW). Which probably makes Laserburn unique as a Sci-fi product.

Is there much fluff in laserburn? And is it a real progenitor of 40k or just a standard SF game by the same folks?

Kid_Kyoto wrote:Is there much fluff in laserburn? And is it a real progenitor of 40k or just a standard SF game by the same folks?

Dunno, I've only ever had a look through the Imperial army book and that was a long time ago.

I have no experience with LB, but this isn't the first time I've heard RT "borrowing" ideas from it.

Wiki- "Some elements of the Laserburn rules, such as power and dreadnought armour, bolt guns and jet cycles were carried forward and appear in Warhammer 40,000 by Games Workshop who Ansell worked for in the late 80s onwards."

Kid_Kyoto wrote:

George Spiggott wrote:People had been playing games in the 'Imperium of the 41st millenium' since Laserburn came out in 80-81. Rogue trader was a consolidation of that existing market.

I did not know that. I thought RT launched the whole thing.

Anyone have a copy of Laserburn and feel like doing a review of it?

You can still buy Laserburn and all the expansions. Plus figures in 15mm...

I'm sure there are other sources, but here's at least one:

http://www.15mm-md.com/Laserburn_15mm_Sci-fi.htm

Vale,

JohnS

I'll take more scans when I get time (Wrapped up in a Call of Cthulhu campaign! )

I also have "The Second Citadel Compendium" which seems to be related somehow.