Phoenix Command
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Phoenix Command is a role-playing game system published by the now inactive Leading Edge games, and copyrighted by Barry Nakazono and David McKenzie. Various versions of the system featured in the out of print games Morning Star Missions, Living Steel, and Aliens among others.
Phoenix Command is notable for its extremely-detailed and realistic combat system. The game utilizes lookup tables which resolve injuries to specific digits, organs, and bones, and simulates the physics of different attacks, such as bullets with different velocities. A simplified rules system was used for most of the movie tie-ins as well as Living Steel.
The manuals have a lot of quotes and extra information in the margins, many of which are darkly humorous. For example:
Gil the Treacherous I don`t think he is going to talk. We`ll have to kill him.
Derek Maybe you should remove the gag first, Gil.
[edit] Design philosophy
In the designers' own words, Phoenix Command is "...designed to be truly realistic; not complex, or deadly, but simply a representation of what really happens to people." While the construction and research behind the system makes it exceedingly realistic, it is also immensely complex, to the point where Phoenix Command is regularly held up as an example of the extreme end of RPG complexity.
While general attitudes toward the game are mixed, there is some hostile reaction to its use in the RPG adaptations of Aliens and Bram Stoker's Dracula, where the system is seen as unsuited to the films they adapt.
[edit] Manuals
There were numerous manuals released as part of the Phoenix Command system. These include:
- Phoenix Command - Small Arms Combat System: Basic rulebook
- Advanced Rules: Includes blunt trauma, smoke and blind fire rules
- Advanced Damage Tables: Small arms more accurate damage tables
- Expansion: Rules for animals in combat (including dinosaurs), Reaction Times and more
- Civilian Weapon Data Supplement: Extra weapon data for various situations
- Mechanized Combat System: Modern tank rules and data
- Mechanized Light Vehicles: Infantry Fighting Vehicles, Armored Personnel Carriers and more
- Hand to Hand Combat System: Rules and weapon data
- Artillery System: Weapon data and rules for modern artillery
- World War II Weapon Data Supplement: All the common weapon data from this era
- Mechanized King Tiger: Heavy Tanks of World War II data and rules
- Mechanized Panzer: Medium Tanks of World War II data and rules
- Mechanized Pak Front: Anti Tank Guns of World War II data and rules
- Russian Roulette - The Breakup of the Soviet Union: Special rules and scenarios for use in 1990s Eastern Europe
- Living Steel - High Tech Adventure Game: Basic rules and scenario for the Living Steel game
- High Tech Weapon Data Supplement: Lots of extra weapons for the Living Steel system
- Trident/RMBK: Scenario and specials rules for the Living Steel game
- KViSR Rocks: Scenario for Living Steel
- Rhand 2349: Maps, information and special rules of the world Living Steel is based on
- Bram Stokers Dracula RPG: Includes rules for special abilities of Vampires
- Aliens RPG: Scenario and data based on the Aliens (1986 movie) film
- Terminator RPG: Scenario and data based on the Terminator (1984 movie) films
