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Space 1889 Core Rulebook

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Everything Jules Verne could have written.

Everything H. G. Wells should have written.

Everything Arthur Conan Doyle thought of,

but never published - because it was too fantastic.


In the year 1870, American inventor Thomas Edison paved the way to the stars!

He reached Mars with the prototype of an ether flyer and was the first man to set foot on the red sand of a foreign world. He was the first of many to come who would haze in astonishment at the wonders of Mars and its inhabitants - the canals of the Red Planet, built many millennia ago; cities that were already old when on Earth, the Sumerians stacked clay bricks to build the first settlements; and relics of old technologies the functionality of which has long been forgotten. Numerous other explorers have follows in Edison's footsteps, not only reaching the Red Planet, but pushing forward to the other planets.

The misty swamps, seas, and jungles of Venus offer fantastic raw materials and bizarre creatures - most of them dinosaurs. Plantations and settlements are built at great expense, defying all adversities.

Mercury too has many precious resources to offer, and it too is inhabited by primeval life forms. In the twilight zone between a hot and a cold side, daring explorers will find the foundation for their future fame and fortune.

But adventurers can also be found in the remote, uncharted areas on Earth, and the colonial powers' struggle for power and influence can be just as exciting as stunning inventions or encounters with famous people.

Space: 1889 brings to life the literary fantasties created by Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, H. R. Haggard, and many others - classic adventure stories and science fiction adventures with a fantastical or nostalgic touch. They all take place during an age obsessed by a belief in technology and progress, in a world lit by gas lamps, powered by steam engines, and filled with the spreading wonders of electricity and ether; a world of inventive genius and spirit for adventure.

Space: 1889 is a science fiction roleplaying game in a more civilized time. A time when gentlemen and ladies of good character discover that there are adventures to be found in London's fogbound alleys just as much as there are on the dusty streets of Syrtis Major on Mars. A time when soldiers might be posted to East Africa or Mars by order of their country; a time when inventors rush to test their latest designs and their latest theories; a time when historians search for the secrets of the ancient Martians; and when wild Venusian Lizard-men and proud Martian steppe warriors must serve their tribes and seek fame and fortune in a time when aliens from Earth have come to their planets.

At the core of this roleplaying system are the innovative, easy to learn Ubiquity rules that emphasize storytelling and cinematic action.

Space: 1889 - Four worlds full of new adventures.

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Reviews (4)
Discussions (14)
Customer avatar
Bryan A September 13, 2023 4:13 pm UTC
So is this playable with Leagues of Adventure/Gothic Horror/Cthulhu, HEX, etc?
Customer avatar
Ulisses S February 06, 2023 2:01 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi Matthew,
the original version is from the 80s and there is a Savage Worlds version from the 2000s. This one is from the 2010s (Ubiquity version) and a new one is in production (by Strange Owl Games.)
Best, Ulisses Spiele
Customer avatar
Matthew B February 04, 2023 5:36 pm UTC
Is this a whole new ruleset, or is it an upgraded version of the original? Also, I see there is a new version in the works, is there an ETA for that? Thanks in advance!
Customer avatar
Tom G December 31, 2022 3:28 pm UTC
@Ulisses S, I am VERY excited at the future prospects of 1889 in the hands of Ulisses Spiele! Do we have ANY timeline available for when we may see the first books in print?
Customer avatar
S. G August 28, 2022 6:13 pm UTC
Is this related to the 1980s game of the same name?
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Customer avatar
Ulisses S August 29, 2022 3:31 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
This is the newer incarnation of the same game, yes. Be excited for what the future will hold for Space 1889, there's much newer stuff to come.
Customer avatar
Denis Z March 16, 2021 4:13 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Liking the new rules so far! Got a couple of questions though.

Am I blind, or is there really no caveats/addendums to combat rules for how mounted combat works?
Also on that note, I don't think horses have stats for some reason?.. Sure, gashants have a creature stat block, so, if I wanted to kitbash it I could, say, let players use the gashant's move and defense when rolling, but...

Seriously, am I just blind.
Reply
Customer avatar
T C D April 09, 2021 9:25 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Your best bet is to get “Mysteries of the Hollow Earth” for Hollow Earth Expedition. This has horse stats and riding rules. The riding rules for Space 1889 (but not horse stats) appear in Edison’s Encyclopedia, but this latter is only available in German.
Customer avatar
Paul H February 24, 2021 3:46 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Are these books going to get a reprint? Most of them seem to be out of stock everywhere now and I'd like hardcopy if possible.
Reply
Customer avatar
Ulisses S February 25, 2021 8:21 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Heyho Paul, as Ulisses is currently working on a new edition of the game, reprints of these books are unlikely.
Customer avatar
Bradley N May 30, 2018 4:32 pm UTC
The liar and thief Edison? Instead of Tesla? Booo.
Reply
Customer avatar
J.M. M July 22, 2020 6:15 pm UTC
Actually there's a lot of great content about Tesla his works etc. (and of course their rivality) in the book.
Customer avatar
Paul B March 24, 2017 5:14 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Well done Clockwork for putting the release date in the file name! You're the first publisher I've come across who does this and it makes things so much easier for me to keep track of updates :-)
Customer avatar
Dillard R January 13, 2017 11:34 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Are there maps of the new earth? CSA and New Mexico territories?
Customer avatar
Torbjörn J April 08, 2016 7:50 am UTC
Is the print version going to be available here as well?
Customer avatar
Bjorn B November 06, 2014 2:00 pm UTC
The two books differ in some ways, although they take place in the same universe. The new Ubiquity version contains vast amounts of setting information but lacks an adventure-scenario. "Red Sands" describes the setting of Space:1889 quite briefly but contains a complex adventure-path and several short scenarios. I suppose, both versions could complement each other very well.
Customer avatar
Timothy S November 01, 2014 6:23 pm UTC
PURCHASER
This seems to be the third different version of this title. The first, published by GDW by Frank Chadwick, had an excellent setting, but awkward clumsy rules that seemed to change for every different task. A Savage Worlds version has recently (within the last five years or so) been released, and with the solid Savage Worlds rules it shined as the original author intended. I didn't know that someone else had the rights to this setting... I hope they do well with it.
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Customer avatar
Louis C November 08, 2014 12:38 am UTC
I have been intrigued by this game for awhile, and was about to jump in and get the Heliograph reprint of GDW version. Now with the Ubiquity version coming out I'd like to research the pros and cons of each system before jumping in. (I own bits and pieces of Traveller in four different versions. I love Traveller since buying the classic LBB's in 1978; but I'd like start a new game in the "best" system before confusing things with other interpretations.)
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Customer avatar
Stephen M M April 08, 2016 4:55 pm UTC
PURCHASER
If going for hardcopy be aware that there are quality issues with the Heliograph reprint according to reviews in another marketplace. I stumped up for a hardcopy of the GDW version, bought the Heliograph pdf (which was about as basic as pdfs can get) and prefer the Savage Worlds take on how to run the rules.

However, I'm intrigued by this new version too.
Reply
Customer avatar
Timothy S March 23, 2017 2:27 am UTC
PURCHASER
Lou, if you haven't already purchased the original Chadwick ruleset, I would advise against it. While I love the original for its setting, the rules themselves are just too fragmented and difficult. If you want to travel via the Ether to the inner planets as an emissary of Her Majesty, do it in the Ubiquity style. You can't go wrong; S1889 has one of the best settings of it's kind, and Ubiquity is a very solid game engine.
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Product Information
Electrum seller
Rule System(s)
Pages
260
ISBN
978-1-909126-56-5
Publisher Stock #
CWP01
File Size:
12.88 MB
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File Last Updated:
March 24, 2017
This title was added to our catalog on October 30, 2014.