From Introduction:
In the realm of science fiction I found that works by writers like Robert Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, and Isaac Asimov also provided examples of strange world exploration and survival that fit my purposes well. Their young adult short stories contained tales of adventure, while some of their more mature work set about showing how civilizations and societies forced to stretch across the stars might function.
And there were, lastly, the very old black-and-white serial adventures that Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon became famous for. Men in silver outfits meant to represent the height of alien technology and fashion flying around, setting things straight with a good right hook almost as often as their ray-guns.
These stories, films, and ideas all played a pivotal role in the design of the setting concepts and system rules that went into Space and Steel. Hopefully their influence will show through in the pages that follow, making for an entertaining and fun game.
An alien civilization built on slavery and mental domination sliding into unspeakable madness. Ancient ruins holding unknown power. Assassins climbing the walls of a floating keep. Asteroid cities circling always in daylight, their heroes patrolling the stars on rocket-fueled packs. Strange tribal kings on newly liberated worlds attempting to bring a thousand different kinds of creature together.
Heroes, villains, pirates, priests, kings, thieves… all this and more is open to the characters in Space and Steel. What path will they take?