The Space Gamer received three Origins Award nominations for Best Professional Roleplaying Magazine (in 1981, 1985, and 1986). The Space Gamer won an Origins Award for Best Professional Roleplaying Magazine of 1982.
Space Gamer began life as a paper magazine published by Metagaming Concepts in 1975. Steve Jackson Games took over publication with issue #27 (dated March/April 1980), and ultimately published 50 issues (plus six issues of spin-off magazine Fantasy Gamer). Issue #76, September/October 1985, became Steve Jackson Games' last issue before the rights to the name went elsewhere. Space Gamer covered all aspects of hobby gaming: RPGs, wargames, card and strategy games, and more. It also featured industry news and reviews. Although Space Gamer is still a great read in its own right, today it's also a fascinating look at an earlier era of hobby gaming.
All the issues of Space Gamer that were published by Steve Jackson Games are available digitally at Warehouse 23, including a bundle of all 50 issues.
Today's featured issue from the vault:
Space Gamer #54 (August 1982)
Space Gamer #54 (cover date August 1982) is retro-cool, like pausing a cassette to call a friend on a car phone so he'll bring you more quarters for the arcade – and if that sentence made sense, this installment is for you!
In addition to the regular game reviews, news, and letters, this issue includes advice and strategy on winning Star Fleet Battles; rules for magical backlash in TFT; an amusing short story about a conjuration gone wrong; creature stats for the classic RPG Wizard's Realm; information on how to make durable "megahexes," useful for all kinds of hex-based gaming; a report on the state of gaming in Sweden, circa 1982; the second column in a series about the miniatures industry; and more.
Whether you're a fan of old-school gaming or a historian of our hobby, each issue of Space Gamer is the perfect passport to the past!
See the sample!
 #27 - #36 |  #37 - #46 |  #47 - #56 |  #57 - #66 |  #67 - #76 |
