Babylon5

The Babylon 5 RPG explodes with the all new 2nd Edition.

With feedback garnered from thousands of gamers since the release of the first rulebook three years ago, the Babylon 5 RPG has been refined and focussed by writer Gareth Hanrahan.

Now 'timeline neutral', the 2nd Edition allows you to play in any era of Babylon 5, from the Earth/Minbari War, through to the Crusade era and beyond. Space combat has been completely overhauled with a faster flowing system that nevertheless squeezes in more detail. New character classes have been added, including the Trader and Ranger, meaning you no longer have to 'qualify' to play one of the most iconic characters of the TV series, as well as new player races - yes, the Pak'ma'ra can now be used by players!

On top of all that, there are copious new notes on the universe of Babylon 5, the station itself and the alien races that can be found throughout the galaxy.

Best of all, the 2nd Edition Babylon 5 RPG is fully compatible with all the supplements printed during the first edition of the game, from the Earth Alliance Fact Book, right up to Merchants, Traders and Raiders!

Packed with all the information a Games Master needs for easy reference during a session of Babylon 5 RPG 2nd Edition, this is the first of Mongoose's new 'deluxe' GM Screens. Made from thick card stock, this screen will last many years of play in the Babylon 5 universe as your players fight against ancient evils and build their own empires.

Bounty Hunter is a guide to the world of freelance agents trained to bring their targets back from the far reaches of the Babylon 5 galaxy. These brave souls take up contracts from all walks of life to make their living. Corporations and governments alike look to bounty hunters to bring in or eliminate white-collar criminals, terrorists, revolutionaries, troublemakers and sometimes even actual criminals.

The career of the bounty hunter can be dangerous, even deadly. Depending on the kind of assignments they choose, who is contracting them and where they must go to retrieve the target, their lives can be at risk everywhere they go. This sense of adventure and danger draws just as many souls into the life of the bounty hunter as the career path tends to end prematurely, creating a cycle of ‘fresh meat’ to fill the well-worn shoes of those who could not handle the pressure of the job.

With the information contained within Bounty Hunter, both players and Games Masters should have all the power they need at their fingertips to offer the services of ‘personal acquisition’ through their own telling of tales and creation of Babylon 5 roleplaying characters. With the right mixture of raw talent, skill and a touch of luck – the next million-credit bounty could be theirs to track, confront and hopefully bring in. Or perhaps it will be the bounty placed upon them.

This box set contains the ultimate guide to the Babylon 5 diplomatic station. Every location, from stem to stern, has been mapped out and detailed. Every sector has been populated and examined. Three books and multiple poster-sized maps combine to make Babylon 5 a living, breathing place that will form the perfect centrepiece of any campaign. From the command officers of C&C to the worst criminals of DownBelow, Babylon 5 has never been treated to such detail.

The universe of Babylon 5 is incredibly vast and complex, a place teeming with life of all shapes and forms. Many of these life forms might not even be recognised as such, but life they are nonetheless. On distant worlds new life evolves and gazes at the stars; on ancient worlds the memories of long-dead races whisper through the tumbled ruins of once-great cities, and on the tachyon networks and jump gates of the galaxy the star-faring races write the history texts of the future in blood and hope.

Each of the great star-faring races has its own heroes and its own villains, most of whom take part in the great saga that is Babylon 5. These are the individuals who shape the events of the galaxy, whether they intend to or not, their smallest action yielding consequences beyond what they imagine. Much as the stones in the Japanese Garden on Babylon 5 demonstrate the power of one mind to change the world, so do the men and women of Babylon 5, no matter their race, change the face of the galaxy.

Heroes and Aliens is dedicated to all these creatures and races, the many forms of life that make the universe of Babylon 5 so deep and compelling. It is dedicated as well to the heroes and villains of Babylon 5, demonstrating their advancement in knowledge and skill throughout the scope of the story.

In many ways, the Babylon 5 universe is a science-fiction retelling of a fantasy epic. There are ancient prophecies, slumbering monsters, warriors with bright swords (or StarFuries), wise mentors, jealous kings, powerful wizards, angels and demons...and there are also crazed, greedy adventurers who delve into deadly, trap-filled dungeons in search of treasure and magic items. They are the employees of IPX - and they just hired you.

This sourcebook details the history and inner workings of the IPX corporation, from its connections to EarthForce to the search for a cure to the Drakh plague. Characters can be employed by the corporation, or struggle against it, or just use the equipment and new character options presented in this book. There is a galaxy out there to be plundered.

IPX - exploring the past to bring you the future.

The year is 2265 and much of the galaxy is happily growing closer together through the efforts of the Interstellar Alliance. The Anla’shok Rangers are the omnipresent policing force used to serve and protect the member worlds, from escorting diplomats to hunting down raiders and bringing them to justice. A cunning Ranger officer from one of these common missions questions the old ways and sets a spiral of events into motion that will reveal weaknesses in the Minbari’s ancient traditions, bring together unexpected allies, and pull the shroud from a deadly new enemy – the Hand.

The Legend of the Rangers was an interesting telemovie that brought several new ideas and events to bear in the Babylon 5 universe. This sourcebook for the Babylon 5 Roleplaying Game Second Edition gives the information concerning those events in a way that could be used by Games Masters and players to bring 2265 in vivid detail to their own campaigns. Although very specific in nature, The Legend of the Rangers set the stage for a number of new plotlines to spin off from the Rangers of that year, their vessels and evolving traditions, and their new and powerful foe.

The Ragged Edge follows in the footsteps of Mongoose's Complete Campaigns for D20 Fantasy games, providing everything a Games Master and his group needs for many, many months of play.

Set in the universe of Babylon 5, The Ragged Edge follows on directly from The Cold Equations (though it can be played without that introductory scenario), taking beginning level characters through a rollercoaster of events that will see them becoming leading lights of the galaxy in their own right, battling against the machinations of the Psi Corps and other power hungry organisations as they try to unravel the mysteries before them.

The Babylon 5 television series saw dozens of different starships that soared, sailed, barrelled and blasted their way across our television screens time and time again. As fans of the series, there was always a part of us that wanted to be at the helm in one of those crimson-lit G’Quan heavy cruisers, or flipping J-turns in a Starfury – which is just one of the many reasons why we created the Babylon 5 Roleplaying Game.

Space travel and starships are a huge part of the Babylon 5 universe, and almost every chronicle will no doubt run into the use of one in some way. Roleplaying evolution states that eventually the players will get tired of seeing ‘the same old thing’ over and over, looking for those ships that never saw screen-time. When those grow old, then inevitably players and Games Masters alike will soon look into creating vessels of their own.

The industry of space travel.

Over the millennia countless starships, rockets, saucers and other craft have been constructed to traverse the spacelanes. Some have been sleek and aesthetically attractive; others have been bulky, ugly and mean. Just as different as the races that made them; the ships of the Babylon 5 universe have run the gamut of designs.

This book is a collection of many of their number that could be found in the era of the 23rd Century, when the turning of an age took place. Separated into their various governmental or political factions, this is the ultimate guide to the spacecraft of Babylon 5.

Just like the ancient mariners of Earth, spacefarers have their own brand of legends. One of the most prevalent and widely told is that of the Cold Equations. It is told in gloomy bars and freighter holds throughout the galaxy. It is always about a different ship - the Erasmus, the Lord Cheka, the Sha-Mak - yet it always involves the same dire choices for the two crewmen, trapped in an impossible situation.

The Cold Equations is an introductory scenario for the Babylon 5 RPG: 2nd Edition. It is set at the start of 2259, in the second season of the TV series, and is designed for 1st level characters.

The Cold Equations can be run as a stand alone scenario or as an introduction to The Ragged Edge.

The Shadows had allies and servants, and they did not leave when their masters went away. The Drakh were the foremost of these servants, princes of darkness who now hope to claim the throne left empty by the First Ones. Sheridan and his crusade destroyed the Drakh’s holy world of Z’ha’dum. Now, they will have their revenge, by one means or another.

Infinitely patient, with the slow cunning of spiders, the Drakh prepare their revenge. From Centauri Prime to Minbar, from the brutal all-out attack on Earth with a Death Cloud to subtle intrigues and conspiracies on Babylon 5 itself, the dead hand of darkness reaches out to tear down a thousand worlds.

The Shadows are gone.

Their evil works live on.

2258's an election year, and Luis Santiago is fighting for his political life. Ten years on from the Earth-Minbari war, the Alliance is divided. The colonies push for more independance, Earth worries about alien influence, the megacorporations are turning EarthGov into an oligarchy, the post-war expansion boom is petering out...and the Mars question is still absolute political poison. In a desperate attempt to turn his re-election campaign around, Santiago takes EarthForce One out on a tour of the Alliance, promising to solve all these problems and more.

That's where you come in. As Santiago's advisors and experts, the players will have to grapple with some of the thorniest issues in the Babylon 5 setting, all the while pushing their own political agendas. Who do they serve and who do they trust - and which of them is the traitor working for the Shadows and Vice-President Clark?

Before there was a Babylon 5, before the League of Non-Aligned Worlds had a place to bring all their commerce, there was Tirrith Transfer Point Alpha. Years pass, wars are waged, and the station took on a new name…Freedom Station. Although not as popular as other stations, positioned far away from the core of the galactic governments, Freedom Station is a massively popular stopping point for a specific type of space traveller – raiders.

This huge, slowly spinning cylinder of dense polymers and mass-produced alloys is home to over five thousand permanent residents of Tirrith, Hyach and a multitude of other species. At least, that is what the official census says. That number is roughly ten times too small, and those who commonly visit or stay on Freedom Station know the difference to what the records read and what is really going on.

This book is a guide to the people and happenings of this controversial space station. It looks at the League’s original version of the Babylon Project, how it failed, and where its new residents took it once they settled with the locals. Freedom Station is a powerful reminder that law and justice mean drastically different things depending on where in the galaxy you go, and who really runs the spacelanes away from the policing of the larger governments.

One of the most infamous races of the Babylon 5 universe, the pak’ma’ra are known as widespread lurkers, carrion eaters; foul-smelling yet ever-present throughout the galaxy. They are despised by many races due to their eating habits and hygiene, but there is more to the pak’ma’ra than poor grooming skills and a dubious aroma...

The Lurker's Guide to pak'ma'ra includes:

It is often said that a lot can be learned about an individual race, by the level of hospitality they offer to others. The Lurker’s Guide to Starports provides gamers with a unique insight into the facilities boasted as the pride and joy of each major race. Some starports are designed to provide comfort and shelter to the weary traveller, whereas others are simply designed for commerce; some even cater for all.

The Lurker’s Guide to Starports is the first publication to provide in depth descriptions of varied space stations in the Babylon 5 universe. From the Abbai’s welcoming haven that is the Qui’Tain, to the corrupt, corporation run Vhros Plateau of the Brakiri, The Lurkers Guide to Starports is an essential survival guide for any space faring character.

Whatever a character is looking for, from a relaxing stop over to an easy way to smuggle goods, they will find all the information they need in this comprehensive guide, along with details of interesting characters they may encounter along the way, who could prove to be useful allies or potentially difficult enemies. Contained within is not only a guide to travelling in space but also valuable information for surviving it!

One of the defining features of the Babylon 5 universe, the existence of telepathy is a source of consternation, conflict and power for all the sentient races of the galaxy. Humans legislate it, Minbari wrap it in religious rituals, the Brakiri sell it and the Narn want it with a desperate hunger. For all its subtlety, the one thing that no one can do is ignore it.

The Lurker's Guide to Telepaths covers every race from Abbai to Zanderian, looking at what it is like to be a telepath in each culture. It also contains a history of important telepathic events in the galaxy and a section on telepathic experiments, their effects and their side effects.

There are new feats, new telepathic abilities, new prestige classes and a few fan favourites updated for the second edition rules. Whether you are playing a manipulative Centauri Mindhawk or a blunt Drazi telekinetic, or if you are looking to create a dangerous telepathic adversary for your players, you will find the options you are looking for inside these covers. There is even a chapter covering what mundanes can do to protect themselves from telepathic threats.

The outer limits of the Galaxy has always been a mysterious place that travellers see as the end of everything, but true explorers and adventurous spacers know better. They know that there is no such thing as the End, no Void beyond the Void, and that there is something out there to be found. It is the role of explorers and wanderers to find these things and turn them from mystery to fact.

This book looks at the process of exploring the Rim and the many uncharted planets and systems that make it such an attractive topic. Unmapped jump routes and new experimental colonies, explorer vessels and the discovery of new life are all just parts of what can be learned in this sourcebook.

The Rim includes:

In 2261 the galaxy was thrown into upheaval in the wake of the last great Shadow War, and the galaxy was caught between ages. It was a time of great change and the responsibilities of the younger races were compounded by the loss of the Ancients. The galaxy – and all within it – was theirs. When a huge and ancient artefact was found drifting in hyperspace by flight crews of the newly neutral Babylon 5, it was brought back to the station to be studied. Bringing the artefact into realspace would trigger a chain of events the Vorlons were only able to postpone at their strongest, that would test the tenacity of Captain Sheridan and his crew to the fullest. Through the artefact they found a dimension they called Thirdspace, and the Harbingers it was home to.

This is a sourcebook for the Babylon 5 Roleplaying Game Second Edition that explains in more detail the events that take place in the Babylon 5 telemovie Thirdspace. Such a massive event would send ripples through the galaxy, and this book explains a few of them. Containing rules on how the Thirdsace gate affected Babylon 5 and its occupants, statistics for the deadly Harbingers and the personalities involved, this sourcebook gives readers everything they need to use the events in their own campaigns – if they dare to do so.

The greatest science fiction adventure ever comes to roleplaying as it has never been seen before. The Babylon 5 Roleplaying Game is the single greatest information resource available for the award-winning television series. Players have the opportunity to play humans, Centauri, Narn, Minbari, Drazi and Brakiri characters from the main rulebook, playing through vast and wide-ranging story arcs that will seal their fate and that of the galaxy. The entire Babylon 5 space station is detailed in the main rulebook, along with the characters and personalities to be found on board.

EarthForce needs you.

The EarthForce Campaign Sourcebook describes the history, deployment and organisation of EarthForce, complete with ranks, regulations, equipment and missions for everyone from the lowliest groundpounder to the Joint Chiefs. It also includes a full campaign structure that can be used as a once-off adventure or a fully-fledged epic campaign centred on EarthForce.

We’ve had nothing but trouble with Earth since we became independent. They’re treating us as if we were still a colony. Everything has to go through Earth: supplies, money transfers, documents. They couldn’t kill us with bullets, so they’re drowning us in red tape. Frankly, I preferred the bullets. At least there I could shoot back.

Mars, hanging blood red in the sky, has long been associated with war, darkness and death. It has been the imagined source of both alien invaders and ancient wisdom for centuries. Finally, in the 23rd century, there is life on Mars – human life, for the most part. Mars is the most populous planet in the Solar System apart from Earth and the most capable of sustaining itself without outside support. It is also a world that lives up to its name, for it is enmeshed in war. From the slaughter of John Carter, to the Food Riots, the brutal crackdowns of the Clark Administration and the final liberation from Earth rule, Mars has always been the site of constant struggle.

Welcome to Into the Crucible, a campaign setting for the Babylon 5 RPG! This campaign is designed to operate throughout Babylon 5’s second season, covering events both large and small. As a storm gathers on the horizon, the people aboard the ‘last, best hope for peace’ struggle against all sorts of challenges. With this book, your players can take part in side scenarios tied into the individual episodes, or major events leading to a final showdown aboard a doomed ship behind enemy lines.

This 160-page guide to the galactic market and its many components will not only allow Games Masters to create and use galaxy-spanning trade companies, but also for players to create their own. With rules and information to help them steer their deals to huge profits or shattering losses, this book opens a whole new set of options to Babylon 5 RPG fans. In these pages you will also find updated rules to the original Raider prestige class, a brand new Raider base class and an assortment of new tools and tricks of the trade. Including more detailed spacecraft hit charts and new ways to spice up fighter craft, it is good source material for any thrill-seeking player or devious Games Master. Now they can influence the universe like so many have before them—with the power of the almighty credit!

Will you become a trade mogul and create your own corporate empire? Or will you become the master of a raider cell and be one of the most feared pirates on the trade routes? There is a fortune to be made or lost either way. Turn these pages and find out how…

No Surrender, No Retreat describes the events of 2261 as they appear in Season 4 of Babylon 5. It explores in detail the personalities, events, and technology that shape the next million years of civilized evolution. Used in conjunction with the other season books and the core Babylon 5 RPG, No Surrender, No Retreat allows the Games Master to extend his games beyond 2259. Characters can participate in the grand sweep of the Great War, assist the Mars colonists in their bid for independence, or stand firm against the alien influenced Sheridan and his mad war of conquest.

This book kicks off with Personalities of 2260 and updates some familiar faces, as well as introducing new ones. Fans will be pleased to know that Lieutenant Corwin and Vir are both showing signs of progress and that Londo is well on the path of damnation! Listening to your feedback, we have also included the telepathic abilities of the characters with 'talent' so you no longer have to fill in the blanks yourself. Marcus Cole, of course, makes his first entrance here. . .

And here you have it – a complete tour of one of the Earth Alliance’s finest warships. The magnificent Hyperion-class cruiser, in all its glory: the good, the bad and the not particularly roomy.

While the Hyperion has some of the most cramped conditions reported outside of Narn space, the vessel is an impressive sight both from the inside and out. Not only does the Hyperion look intimidatingly powerful, it houses so many redundant systems and backup controls that it can take the most punishing of poundings and keep fighting.

The Hyperion has been serving for over forty years with distinction. Many of them were sacrificed to turn back the Minbari armada in the Battle of the Line. Many say it was the fierce resistance of ships like the Hyperion that convinced the alien force to surrender in the first place.

The Hyperion Deck Plans take you through every aspect of this workhorse of the Earth Alliance – every bulkhead, generator, highlight and design flaw. Painstakingly researched from both the B5 canon universe and real-life naval and space vessels, Hyperion Deck Plans are an invaluable and comprehensive insight into both the shipboard life and the EA’s technical expertise.

'There are those that say the Centauri taught us how to wage war. This is simply a lie. We have always known how to fight. We have always known that when one is wronged, there is nothing more important than to address that wrong. We will do anything to accomplish this, including using the tools of our enemies t