Saturnalia (play-by-mail game)
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Saturnalia (or Sat) is a play by mail (PBM) game with a fantasy setting that was first played by students at the University of Southampton before becoming a commercial enterprise in the United Kingdom.
Publication history
Saturnalia was one of the first single-character
In 1987, Sloth Enterprises was formed to moderate a commercial version of the game.[4] In an advertisement in the October 1986 issue of Adventurer, Sloth Enterprises asserted that Saturnalia currently had a subscriber base of over 700 players, making it the largest single-player PBM game in the U.K.[5] By 1997, the game had been running for twenty years.[2]
Linda Little commented in the inaugural issue of
By 1997, the original two gamemasters (the game designers) had expanded to five, running six different "regions" within Saturnalia.[7][a] These included "Neil's Area", run by Neil Packer, "Exile" run by John Davies, "North West" run by Colin Andrews, "Shyrley's Area", and "Simon's Area".[9] Andrews also ran a North East region.[10] In 2002, Dark Wolf Games published the game in the United Kingdom.[11]
Gameplay
The game is set on the continent of Saturnalia, which has a variety of climates and a large cast of mythical creatures.[4] The rule book recommends that the character should be a follower of one of the fourteen deities — each gives the character some advantages, and allows the character to learn certain types of spells.[4]
The player distributes 250 points amongst combat, magical, vitality, scouting and perception, and then chooses the character's appearance and background. During the game, abilities will rise and fall with use or neglect, and the character's description might also change depending on interaction with others. Each character also starts with a Fame rating of zero, which will rise or fall depending on the character's deeds or crimes.[4]
The gamemaster arbitrates the outcome of combats, using variables such as relevant abilities, magic, and terrain.[4] Players could achieve inclusion in the Top Ten Hall of Fame with a high score in fame or infamy.[12]
Reception
In a 1985 issue of Flagship, Ben Parkinson stated that it was "probably one of the best purely role-playing postal games on the market".[3] In the July 1987 edition of Crash, Brendon Kavanagh admitted that "Saturnalia has no really original features — in fact, as fantasy games go, it has little special about it at all." Despite this Kavanagh concluded "Saturnalia is a simple but enjoyable game to play. Sloth Enterprises have run this multi-player game successfully for nearly two years now without any major problems that immediately spring to mind. [...] If you enjoy role-playing games, you may well enjoy Saturnalia."[4]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b Little 1988. p. 49.
- ^ a b c Wayne 1997. p. 36.
- ^ a b Parkinson 1985. p. 10.
- ^ a b c d e f Kavanaugh 1987.
- ^ Saturnalia 1986. p. 3.
- ^ Parkinson 1985. pp. 10–11.
- ^ Wayne 1997. p. 37.
- ^ Wayne 1997. p. 27.
- ^ Wayne 1997. pp. 41–42.
- ^ Ives 1997. p. 30.
- ^ Dark Wolf Games. p. Back Cover.
- ^ Parkinson 1985. p. 11.
Bibliography
- Dark Wolf Games (December 2002 – January 2003). "Saturnalia [Ad]". Flagship. No. 100. p. Back cover.
- Ives, Simon (July–August 1997). "A Saturnalian Diary, Part 1". Flagship. No. 68. pp. 30–31.
- Kavanagh, Brett (July 1987). "Play by Mail". Crash. No. 36.
- Little, Linda (October 1988). "P.B.M.". Games International. No. 1. p. 49.
- Parkinson, Ben (Autumn 1985). "Saturnalia: Role-Playing Towards the Hall of Fame". Flagship. No. 8. pp. 10–11.
- "Saturnalia". Adventurer. No. 4. October 1986. p. 3.
- Wayne (January–February 1997). "The New Look of Saturnalia". Flagship. No. 65. pp. 37–38.
- Wayne (January–February 1997). "Rumours from the Front: Saturnalia". Flagship. No. 65. p. 27.
- Wayne (September 1997). "Talking Shop: Saturnalia (Exile)". Games Without Frontiers. No. 3. p. 42.
Further reading
- Ives, Simon (September–October 1997). "A Saturnalian Diary, Part 2". Flagship. No. 69. pp. 18, 20.