Why Spelljammer?
Spelljammer: Shadow of the Spider Moon is a D20 mini-game I wrote for issue #151 of Polyhedron Magazine, a.k.a. Dungeon Magazine #92). Spider Moon "revisits" many of the familiar concepts from the original Spelljammer campaign setting written by the marvelously creative (and all-around nice guy) Jeff Grubb and published by TSR in 1989, but with some new twists.
Obviously, with only 40 pages or so to spend on the game, I couldn't hope to delve into it to the same depth that the original Spelljammer line had during its lifespan. Instead, I chose to provide an overview of a single star system, and the cultures, societies, and political intrigue present within that system. In addition, Shadow Moon presents a simple set of rules for fantasy spacefaring and plenty of authentic D20 game mechanics designed specifically to support campaigns of swashbuckling action and mysterious explorations.
The origins of this mini-game date back a few years, when Erik Mona (then and now, the editor of Polyhedron Magazine) and I were chatting over lunch about great old TSR intellectual properties (that's a high-falutin' business term for "worlds and characters") that'd we love to see revisited with new spins. The topic of Spelljammer came up, and we shared grins and groans at our favorite (and least-favorite) elements of the classic campaign setting. Both of us loved the elements of piracy and high adventure, but agreed that the setting never really managed to find a singular voice or identity.
On the one hand, you had many aspects of classic heroic fantasy: dire villains, including the mind flayers, drow, and the neogi; a new addition to the D&D game; mysteries, such as the enigmatic arcane; and a grand selection of exotic locations in which to run your campaign. One of the truly galaxy-shaking Spelljammer adventures, Under the Dark Fist, saw characters from my past and present campaigns alike come together to thwart the plans of the evil Emperor Vulkan. Heady stuff, indeed.
But these heroic aspects had to fight against the chronic "goofiness" that slowly crept in and threatened to overwhelm the setting. Instead of the typical D&D gnomes, Spelljammer featured the tinker gnomes made popular by Dragonlance, who piloted bizarre contraptions powered by giant hamsters and rubber bands. For every race of Astral-spawned pirates, militaristic orcs, or battle-trained, tusken giff, you had to contend with talking penguins, robot gnomes, or space owls. On top of that, the use of the Spelljammer setting to link TSR's other game settings together (rather than allowing it to evolve as a unique setting unto itself) meant that a DM using the setting had to contend with potentially incompatible characters from any of a number of worlds (and using a wide range of potentially incompatible rulesets). While the setting had and continues to have many fans--myself included--I think it's that dichotomy, the mixed bag of components, that kept a lot of would-be fans from embracing it.
What Erik and I talked about that day was a Spelljammer setting that would focus on the exotic and mysterious elements of a space-based heroic fantasy game--exploring strange worlds, delving into ruins of long-dead civilizations, dueling with rapier and wit in courts of intrigue, and, of course, facing some of the most evil forces existing in D&D. At the time, it was little more than talk. Neither of us were in a position to write a new version of the setting, but we agreed that such an opportunity would be an exciting one. I even wrote up a synopsis of what the setting might look like, dubbing it "Dragonstar" (long before the D20 game of the same name was announced, proving that when you think of a good name, you shouldn't ever just sit on it).
Fast forward to last fall, when Polyhedron Magazine was undergoing a dramatic change. As part of the magazine's revamp and change of vision, Erik decided on a bold new concept: to present an entire role-playing game in each issue. What would have seemed impossible only a couple years earlier could now be achieved, thanks to the versatility of the D20 system. Since each game would rely on the rules presented in the Player's Handbook, they wouldn't have to waste space recapping basic game concepts such as character creation, skills, combat, and the like. Instead, each game could focus on what made it different from the rest of the pack: new character options, new rules subsystems, and of course, new settings.
Erik didn't have to go far to find authors for these games. Heck, you can't swing a dead familiar down in R&D without hitting a half-dozen staffers who have ideas they've been wanting to try out in a format like the one Erik was proposing. David Noonan's Pulp Heroes game and Bill Slavicsek's Shadow Chasers game examined two ways to apply familiar rules to different eras of play.
I too was eager to give this format a try. Frankly, I don't remember which one of us (Erik or I) approached the other one first, but either way it wasn't a tough sell. We knew that Polyhedron would be a perfect venue to try out those ideas we had thrown around over lunch. So I sat down with my collection of Spelljammer products, dusted off my old synopsis and hammered out a proposal for a new vision of the Spelljammer setting, transformed and transmogrified into a 3rd Edition/D20 system game. After a few minor tweaks, we had a working outline, and a few months later, Erik had 30,000 words of swashbuckling, spacefaring fantasy action, complete with a new name: Shadow of the Spider Moon.
We didn't have room to tell all the stories we wanted to in that too-short presentation, but we're not necessarily done talking yet. Erik's still open to the possibility of further Polyhedron support for Spelljammer: Shadow of the Spider Moon, but until that day comes, I'll be publishing occasional additions right here at andycollins.net. In addition, you can head over to the official Spelljammer website, Beyond the Moons, to find plenty of content for the classic setting as well as for the Spider Moon version.
So that's "why Spelljammer," in a nutshell. If you haven't yet checked out Shadow of the Spider Moon, you can pick up a copy of Polyhedron #151/Dungeon #92 at your local gaming store or on newsstands. If you want to see more details about the Spider Moon setting and game system, if you've got a favorite element of the classic setting that you'd like to see a new spin on, or even if you just want to share a comment about the game, head over to our new message boards or drop a line to spidermoon (at) andycollins (dot) net. I can't guarantee that I'll answer every email, but I read everything I'm sent, and I'll definitely consider any ideas you send my way.
Happy Spelljamming!
Andy Collins
April 2002