thumb|right|Cover of the 2005 Jovian Chronicles core book

Jovian Chronicles is a science fiction game setting published by Dream Pod 9 since 1997. It introduces a complete universe for role-playing and wargaming space combat featuring mecha, giant spacecraft, and epic space battles.

The Jovian Chronicles setting was originally published as a pair of licensed supplements for the Mekton role-playing game; Ianus Publications released two volumes—Jovian Chronicles and Europa Incident—in 1992. This first edition is known amongst fans as the "Green Edition" because of the color scheme of its cover design.

After Ianus decided to split into two ventures in 1995 — Protoculture, which would publish Protoculture Addicts magazine; and Dream Pod 9, which would design and market miniatures and gaming books,

In 2017, Dream Pod 9 launched a Kickstarter to create new resin spaceship miniatures. The goal was to raise 9,000 CAD; with the support of 143 backers, they raised a total of 25,090 CAD. Dream Pod 9 reported that by November 2017 they had "completed the shipping of Backer Reward Packages". In 2018, they launched a second Kickstarter to create additional new spaceships and exo-armor squad miniatures. The goal was smaller this time (4,000 CAD) and while it was successful, it was less successful than the first Kickstarter (57 backers raising 8,708 CAD). Dream Pod 9 reported that they had begun shipping out "Backer Reward Packages" in April 2019. During this time, Beta Playtest Rules for a new edition, called Jovian Wars, were released for free on DrivethruRPG as a PDF. These rules were last updated on February 14, 2018.

Setting

The game world shows one possible future, a time in which Mankind has expanded and settled the Solar System, going as far as terraforming Venus and Mars. The colonists living around Jupiter are at odds with the government of Earth, driving much of the series' intrigue. The game features a blend of action/adventure and hard-science space colonization facts. The books are based on plausible technical details to maintain a realistic hard science fiction setting.

  • Mercury: a small settlement, whose main exports are high quality electronics and metals. Mercury is the headquarters of the powerful Merchant Guild, an association of companies which provide most of the transportation throughout the system.
  • Venus: terraformed by a consortium of corporations, Venus is now a marginally habitable planet. The Venusian upper class and their workers live in polar arcologies, surrounded by terraforming processors.
  • Earth: damaged by centuries of overpopulation and civil wars, the motherworld is home to the Central Earth Government and Administration (CEGA), a bureaucratic planetary government that believes the Earth should lead the solar system.
  • Orbital Colonies: the salvation of many who fled Earth, these are huge O'Neill stations parked at the Lagrange points. Orbitals are peaceful people who follow CEGA's lead for protection.
  • United Solar Nations: evolved from the old United Nations to provide a neutral arbiter between the various settlements. It has a private peace-keeping army, the USN Guard, and an interplanetary law enforcement agency, the Solar Police (SolaPol).
  • The Moon: CEGA's industrial center, its inhabitants are living in huge complexes buried beneath the soil. Many of Earth's heavy industries were moved there long ago.
  • Mars: a divided planet, home to the Martian Free Republic and the Martian Federation. Border clashes between the two are frequent.
  • The Belt: the asteroids are populated by mobile nomad communities, each a micro-society of its own.
  • Jupiter: home to refugees from Earth. The enormous space stations of the Jovian Confederacy were the first to develop and field exo-armors. Thanks to the resources of the Jovian sub-system, the Confederacy is the richest nation in the solar system.
  • Titan: the largest moon of Saturn is the farthest human settlement. It is the main source for complex hydrocarbon compounds and plays an important role in the industries of the solar system.

Anime inspirations

Many recent Western cartoon shows and games have Japanese anime styling. Jovian Chronicles also features anime-inspired artwork and narrative elements, though the various technical elements (ships, stations, equipment, etc.) are original works illustrated with computer art.

Jovian Chronicles was featured on the front cover of the March–April 1997 edition of Pyramid (Vol. 1, Issue 24), and a sneak preview of the game was offered inside the same issue.

In the February 1998 edition of Dragon (Issue 244), Rick Swan reviewed both the Jovian Chronicles setting and the Heavy Gear setting (also published by Dream Pod 9), and praised the high production values: "Both are beautiful games, into which a lot of effort has been invested." Swan admired the "Silhouette" game system, calling it "the smartest set of universal rules this side of the GURPS game." But he criticized the combat rules, which he called "more work than fun", and he found little to be excited about in the setting, saying, "There's nothing terribly interesting going on here, and the game's ambitions seem awfully modest compared to the wide screen spectacle of Trinity." Given the setting's emphasis on robot combat, Swan believed that "Jovian Chronicles aims at players more interested in hardware than human beings." He concluded with an ambivalent shrug: "Other than the lifeless settings, I couldn’t find anything seriously wrong with... Jovian Chronicles. But I couldn’t find much to be excited about either."

A review of the Ship of the Fleet, Vol. 4 — a supplement describing six Venusian ships of the Jovian Chronicles line — that appeared in the August 11, 2000 issue of Pyramid found the supplement had failed in the small details that other works by Dream Pod 9 had possessed, saying "Being truly excellent is a double-edged sword: On the one hand, of course, you're excellent -- and that comes with a lot of perks. On the other hand, though, you have set yourself a very high standard indeed -- and a failure in the details suddenly becomes a notable offense."

Reviews

  • Mecha Press #10 (Nov./Dec. 1993)
  • Casus Belli #109

References

  • Dream Pod 9 (Publisher)