Behind Enemy Lines (role-playing game)

Behind Enemy Lines is a role-playing game published by FASA in 1982.

Description

Behind Enemy Lines is a military system covering U.S. soldiers on the Western Front in WWII.[1] Skill and combat rules are fairly simple, as they are descended from the original Traveller systems.[1] In the first edition, the "Character Generation and Basic Rules" book (96 pages) covers character creation, combat, maps, interrogation, and special units.[1] The "Event Tables" book (48 pages) is full of randomized tables for covering almost any kind of situation: encounters in woods, towns, and fortifications; on railroads; for parachuting and mountain climbing; etc.[1] The "Missions" book (56 pages) has three scenarios, four miniscenarios, and numerous "pregenerated" NPCs.[1] In the second edition, all this material is reorganized into a "Soldier's Handbook" (32 pages), a "Commander's Manual" (32 pages), an "Operations Book" (16 pages), and an Infantry Reference Data sheet.[1]

Publication history

Behind Enemy Lines was designed by William H. Keith, Jr., with Jordan Weisman, Ross Babcock, Eric Turn, and Steve Turn, and was published in 1982 by FASA as a boxed set including a 96-page book, a 56-page book, and a 48-page book, a map booklet, four cardstock sheets, two cardboard counter sheets, and dice.[1] The second edition was published by FASA in 1985 as a boxed set including two 32-page books, and a 16-page book, a cardstock screen, and dice.[1]

Behind Enemy Lines was the first role-playing game set in the 1940s.[2]:120

Reception

The first edition set of Behind Enemy Lines was an H.G. Well award-winner.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. p. 253. ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
  2. ↑ Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.