Buck Rogers XXVC (sometimes written as Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) is a game setting created by TSR, Inc. in the late 1980s. Products based on this setting include novels, graphic novels, a role-playing game (RPG), board game, and video games. The setting was active from 1988 until 1995.
Anthony Rogers was a fictional character that originated in two short stories by Philip Nowlan, "Armageddeon, 2419 A.D." and "The Airlords of Han" published in Amazing Stories Magazine August 1928 and March 1929 respectively. The character was renamed Buck Rogers and reinvented as comic strip, making its first newspaper appearance January 7, 1929 (Buck was the name of the Dille Family's dog). The idea for the comic strip originated with John Flint Dille, the President of the National Newspaper Syndicate of America who convinced a somewhat reluctant Nowlan to undertake the strip. As an inducement to Nowlan, who doubted his ability with the comic strip medium, Dille suggested that Nowlan take the first episode from 'Armageddon 2419, A.D. and change the hero's name from Anthony Rogers to Buck Rogers. Dille then enlisted Dick Calkins, an editorial cartoonist to illustrate and co-write the stories. Ownership of Buck Rogers and other works are now owned exclusively by the Dille Family Trust, as successor to National Newspaper Syndicate of America.
In the 1980s, John Dille's granddaughter, Lorraine Williams, was the president of TSR. In that decade, business for TSR was booming, mainly as a result of their popular RPG, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Lorraine Williams decided to published a Buck Rogers XXVC game setting, which came out in 1990 and was based on the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition rules, but there are some small differences. It was a new incarnation of the Buck Rogers world created by Williams' brother, Flint Dille. Its universe was limited to the solar system, because the Buck Rogers Credo, which established creative guidelines from the strip's beginning required that Buck Rogers' realism was to be based on the scientifically possible and probable—science fact and fiction not science fantasy. As as result, the TSR XXVC storyline revolved heavily around interplanetary travel and terraforming. A few dozen expansion modules were published, as well as a line of novels and graphic novels.
The company TSR owned Advanced Dungeons and Dragons at the time and had worked with SSI on a computerized version of the rules. SSI developed their "Gold Box" game engine for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, so it was natural for them to use the engine for the XXVC rules.
The setting of XXVC is a possible future of the real universe that we live in. In the year 1999, the Soviet Union and the United States are involved on the "Last Gasp War." This is the world's first nuclear war.
This war causes many governments of Earth to abandon conventional warfare and embrace large alliances. Three of these alliances that grow to be superpowers are the Russo-American Mercantile ("RAM"), the Indo-Asian Consortium ("IAC"), and the Euro-Bloc Faction ("EBF"). In the latter half of the 21st century, these three alliances jointly form the System States Alliance for the purposes of exploring and colonizing the solar system. Slowly, the SSA begins to terraform the inner planets. Mars is colonized by RAM, Luna is colonized by EBF, and Venus is controlled by IAC.
The main method of interplanetary travel from this time onward is the rocket ship. These vessels use fusion reactions to power the ship throughout its entire voyage. Rocket ships usually can range from 5 to 500 tons.
In the year 2275, RAM revolts against Earth and gains independence. Furthermore, because of Earth's dependence on the other planets for resources, RAM begins to dominate Earth. In 2310, refugees from Earth begin to colonize Mercury. In the next century, the asteroid belt and Jupiter begin to be settled.
In the first half of the 25th century, certain Terrans (inhabitants of Earth) form the New Earth Organization ("NEO"). This society plans to rebel against the rule of RAM and restore Earth to its former glory. After the revival of Buck Rogers, NEO is strengthened by alliances with other governments and space pirates. NEO is able to repel the occupation by RAM and fend off the ensuing large-scale attack by RAM.
Most of the XXVC material takes place in the time from 2430 until 2460.
Like all other versions of the Buck Rogers universe, one central story is that of Anthony "Buck" Rogers. In this case, Buck is the pilot of an experimental spacecraft for the American government in 1999. Buck is sent into space to destroy "MasterLink" - a heavily defended satellite that acts as the hub of the Soviet war machine. The MasterLink satellite is primarily controlled by an eponymous artificial intelligence, but as an experimental system, it is supplemented by a Soviet cosmonaut named Karkov - who coincidentally murdered Rogers' parents years before while they were flying in a commercial jet the Soviet Union declared a spy craft.
The battle ends badly for both combatants; the Masterlink satellite is neutralized (but not destroyed), and Karkov dies from space exposure. Masterlink integrates Karkov's mind into its program before he dies. Rogers survives the battle, but his own ship has taken too much damage to make atmospheric reentry. Instead, he utilizes an experimental cryogenic system to await recovery. However, the "Last Gasp War" begins before a rescue can be attempted, and his preserved form is left drifting in space for the next five centuries.
In the year 2456, Rogers's spacecraft is discovered, and a number of factions race to recover it for various unrelated reasons. He is ultimately recovered by a civilian researcher who brings him out of cryogenic stasis, resurrecting the 20th century hero. Rogers, upon discovering what Earth has suffered in his absence, joins NEO, a resistance movement fighting to liberate Earth from its absentee landlord, RAM. His expertise, dedication and symbolic value ultimately prove to be the key to NEO's defeat of RAM.
TSR Inc. also published the novel Buck Rogers: A Life in the Future by Martin Caidin (Jun 1995, ISBN 0-78690-144-6), however this book is not connected to the XXVC universe.
These two games were developed and published by SSI for various platforms and are entirely unrelated to Sega's 1982 Buck Rogers video game Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom.
The Buck Rogers Battle for the XXVth century board game (TSR, Jun 1988, ISBN 0-88038-586-3) was a strategy game, designed by Jeff Grubb, similar to Axis and Allies or Risk. Players maneuvered soldiers, ships, and gennies on a board representing the solar system. During the game, the planets moved, changing the relative distances of the various planets and their moons. In the advanced game, each player's leader character, based on a personage from the setting, had a unique special ability, and the gennies could be assigned special abilities based on their home planet.
No. 3562 (BOXED SET) : Science Fiction Role-Playing Game.
Contains Characters and Combat, The Technology Book, and The World Book. plus four large, full-color maps of various locations of interest and doubling as battle mats for conflicts, twenty-four full-color cards of spaceships and NPCs, a sheet of die-cut ship counters and markers, a fold-out referee’s screen and a set of dice.
This 96 page book is a part of the boxed set, and sets down the rules for creating a character (complete with THAC0, AC, class special abilities and the works). It also explains ship-to-ship combat and provides rules for building one's own space ships.
This 32 page book is a part of the boxed set and contains a listing of all the special equipment available in the boxed set. Later accessories and scenarios elaborate and expand upon the information available in this book. Lists not only the weight of the technological gadgets, but also the physical dimensions.
This 64 page book is a part of the boxed set and contains an overview of the political situation as the game begins play in the year 2456 as well as a discussion of the physical locations in the Solar System - Earth, Mars, Venus, etc...
No. 3563 (OFFICIAL GAME ADVENTURE) / By Doug Niles
This is a 64 page book in the familiar loose cover, map insert, booklet format ( as was used on nearly all of the supplemental material that came for Buck Rogers role-playing game). The inside of the cover of the product would often contain maps and stats for characters that could be used, as well as overviews of pertinent ships, gennies. The map inserts are quite large and in full color.
No. 3565 (OFFICIAL GAME ACCESSORY) / By Ray Winninger
This 64 page supplement concentrates on the status of Mars. As Mars is run by RAM, much of the book concentrates on how RAM is organized, who is running RAM, as well as providing profiles of various personalities that are part of RAM. Some new items and rules are also provided—including life suspension, cyber-genetics, various types of ship sensors, creatures and statistics on RAM soldiers.
No. 3566 (OFFICIAL GAME ADVENTURE) / By Troy Denning
The Player/Characters are the subject of this MacGuffin hunt. Running around in the “Asteroid Belt” they meet a wide variety of characters.
No. 3567 (OFFICIAL GAME ACCESSORY) / By Dale Henson
This 64 page supplement expands on the various arcologies, sprawls, and other features of Earth. A few choice items of technology are added.
No. 3569 (OFFICIAL GAME ACCESSORY) / By Dale Henson
In this 32 page scenario, the player characters are sent on a mission of mercy—to rescue a NEO sympathizer from the clutches of RAM on Mars. Deimos Mandate is a linear scenario. This scenario introduces Terran Marcus Wulfe who becomes a recurring NPC in the upcoming scenarios being released. He is a formidable warrior, always striving to catch, mutilate or straight out kill the player characters if they take a wrong turn. There are plenty of maps - though there is no map insert. It is heavy on combat.
No. 3571 (OFFICIAL GAME ADVENTURE) / By Bruce Nesmith
This 32-page scenario is a MacGuffin-hunt. A prototype NEO cruiser has been stolen from a shipyard by a previously unknown type of gennies and it is up to the player characters to find them. Though the Solar System is a large place, these gennies are of a unique appearance and moreover are RAM deserters, so they've made for the Belt. This adventure expands on ‘The Belt’ accessory, the Trojans (asteroids in two specific Lagrange points between Jupiter and Sol) and provides a new gennie. It introduces the concept of "bottles", custom-built space stations that provide a specific climate and terrain in a simulated environment.
No. 3573 (OFFICIAL GAME ADVENTURE)
This 32 page scenario does contain the stats of a few prominent NPCs. Carlton Turabian is perhaps the more familiar of those, and the leader of the Salvation III space station - as well as some new equipment and a lot of ship statistics. This scenario is more heavily oriented toward ship-to-ship combat than any of the previous offerings, but does contain opportunities for cross-country driving and a few fire fights as well. As the title suggests, this scenario deals with what might happen if someone managed to synthesize a form of Gravitol (a drug used to counteract the negative effects of zero gravity) that could be produced anywhere in the Solar System—not just on Venus.
No. 3574 (OFFICIAL GAME ACCESSORY) By Dale Henson editing Bill Slavicsek, additional editing Dori Watry ; project coordinator, Bruce A. Heard ; cover and interior art by Continuity Studios ; cartography Steve Beck.
At 130 pages, this is the ultimate accessory for gennies and high-level Buck Rogers campaigns. The opening pages provide a simplified THAC0 chart for all gennies and careers available, as well as an expanded gennie career selection chart. Not only does this supplement provide a lot of information about various gene splicing firms, it also compiles all the information available on a wealth of gennies that were presented in earlier accessories and adventures. There are also a few adventure hooks hidden in the text.
No. 3575 (OFFICIAL GAME ACCESSORY) By David ‘Zeb’ Cook
This is a 64 page supplement described as the Switzerland of the Buck Rogers universe. Well-armed and not afraid to use it, Luna is the economic powerhouse of the 25th century - and this supplement details a lot of what you need to know to run a campaign on Luna.
No. 3578 (OFFICIAL GAME ACCESSORY) By Nigel D. Findley
This scenario is presented in the familiar loose cover 32 page booklet no map insert format and deals with the brainwashing of a NEO officer who announces that he wishes to defect to RAM. The player characters get involved in the case. There are a lot of NEO spies, moles, and undercover agents may be compromised if the NEO officer is allowed to defect to the RAM organization. This scenario takes place mostly on Luna, and incorporates a few of the special conditions that Lunarians must live under.
No. 3579 (OFFICIAL GAME ACCESSORY) By William Tracy
A 64 page supplement, ‘The Belt’ details the asteroid belt and the various people, organizations and locales that make it worth visiting/role-playing. The Belt follows the well-established formula of giving some notes on the society of the Belters, and introducing a couple of gennies. Interestingly enough, those gennies can also be found in the [No Humans Allowed] accessory.
No. 3582 (OFFICIAL GAME ACCESSORY) By Dale Henson editing by Elizabeth Anne Tornabene ; cover & interior artwork by Continuity Studios ;cartography John Knecht.
This 64 page technology book introduces additional toys, guns and gadgets. Need stats for submarines? It's in Hardware. Need stats for a laser sight? UV sight? FIR laser rifle? Automatic Rocket Rifles? It's all in here in a treasure trove of new ship-scale weapons, new fighters, prototype drive systems, and misc. items such as ‘Venusian Lowlander Suits’.
Following lackluster response, TSR decided to try again with a more conventional table-top RPG, this time based on the original 1928 Philip Francis Nowlan novel Armageddon, 2419 A.D. (Ace, Aug 1978, ISBN 0-441-02939-6) and subsequent 1929 comic strip continuity, in which resurgent tribal Americans overthrow their Red Mongol conquerors. The basic game was called the High Adventure Cliffhangers Buck Rogers Adventure Game (Sep 1993, ISBN 1-56076-636-0) and was co-designed by Jeff Grubb and Steven Schend. The High Adventure Cliffhangers Buck Rogers War Against The Han Campaign Supplement (Dec 1993, ISBN 9781560766834) was designed by Steven Schend alone. Although published by TSR as a licensed Buck Rogers property, this game is unconnected with the XXVC universe.
No. 3587 (ADVENTURE GAME)
This High Adventure Cliffhangers box set contains:
Campaign Supplement for ‘High Adventure Cliffhangers’ Adventure Game. (Not part of XXVC, but included as another iteration of TSR Buck Rogers)
THE COLLECTED WORKS OF BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY / editor, Robert C. Dille ; introd. by Ray Bradbury.288 pages, A & W Publishers (1977). Reprint of 1969 coffee table book with 60 new pages
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