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Space Master is a science fiction role-playing game produced by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) in 1985.

Space Master is a science-fiction space-adventure system, fairly complex, and compatible with Cyberspace, Rolemaster, and to a lesser extent Middle-earth Role Playing.^[1]

The first and second editions included the “Future Law” and “Tech Law” book, a booklet of spaceship plans, plus maps and counters for spaceship combat.^[1]

The third edition (which the publisher calls the second edition) is revised and expanded, with three new booklets. The “Player Book” (128 pages) covers: character creation (a detailed class-and-level system); a complex and comprehensive combat system; skills and activity resolution; and extensive psionic powers rules.^[1] The “GM Book” (80 pages) covers: star system and planet creation; 40 pages of background data on the Empire, a far-future interstellar realm; guidelines for alternate milieus; how to run adventures and create encounters; and information on alien races.^[1] The “Tech Book” (96 pages) covers all sorts of futuristic equipment, including weapons, tools, armor, computers, robots, clones and cyborgs, vehicles, and spaceships (including deck plans for nine examples); also includes malfunction and repair rules and detailed charts of weapon effects.^[1] The third edition boxed set also includes a two-piece color star map of the Empire.^[1]

ICE published several expansions, including Space Master Companion I, Space Master Companion II and Aliens & Artifacts, as well as numerous adventure modules and setting sourcebooks. A cyberpunk adaptation of the system, called Cyberspace was also published, along with a smaller number of supplements.

The Space Master System is usable in a variety of SF environments, from a dystopian near-future post-apocalyptic Earth, to a culture of high-tech exploration, to a distant time where civilization has fallen to superstitious ruin. Spacemaster has 17 professions, dozens of sub-professions, over 120 skills and a selection of background options.

Spacemaster Trilogy:

1. Space Master: The Role Playing Game is completely compatible with all Space Master Modules, and is the first part of a Science Fiction Gaming Trilogy.
2. Space Master: Star Strike (Fall 1988), a fast-paced game of interplanetary ship combat, puts you in the gunner’s chair as you face enemy starships.
3. Space Master: Armored Assault (1989), moves the combat planetside, where Hovertanks, Powered Armor, and Aircraft vie for supremacy.

The default setting for Spacemaster 2 is the classic Imperium setting, where a human empire spans the galaxy in a future thousands of years hence.

Space Master was designed by Kevin Barrett and Terry K. Amthor,^[2] with a cover by Gail McIntosh and illustrations by Jason Waltrip and Dan Carroll, and was published by ICE in 1985 as a boxed set with two books (one 96 pages, one 88 pages), a 16-page pamphlet, three color maps, and a counter sheet.^[1]

The second edition was published in 1986. A third edition with a cover by Walter Velez was published in 1988 as a boxed set which included three booklets and two color maps.^[1] There was also a second edition reprint in 1992 in a combined softcover book (ISBN 1-55806-172-X ICE2600 #9050).

ICE published their new Spacemaster: Privateers RPG (2000) even while they were in chapter 11.^[2]: 141 ICE’s last remaining role-playing lines – Rolemaster, Spacemaster and Shadow World – and the ICE brand itself were all that was left of the original company by 2001, and John R. Seal of London purchased all of that for $78,000; these rights were placed into the holding company Aurigas Aldebaron LLC, which only held the properties and did not take on any debt.^[2]: 142 Soon after purchasing the ICE property rights, Aurigas licensed them to Phoenix LLC, a company who wanted to continue production and soon after became Mjolnir LLC and then started doing business using the “ICE” intellectual properties and brand.^[2]: 142 Mjolnir restarted the Spacemaster: Privateers line, which updated the game mechanics in Spacemaster to be more similar to the mechanics in the Rolemaster Standard System.^[2]: 143 As problems developed with the ICE brand, Aurigas Aldebaron pulled the ICE-related IP rights from Mjolnir and licensed the High Adventure Role Playing, Rolemaster and Spacemaster rights to Guild Companion Publications.^[2]: 144

• Future Law (1985)
• Tech Law (1985)
• Action on Akaisha Outstation (1985)
• Imperial Crisis: House Devon in Turmoil (1986)
• Lost Telepaths: The Secret of House Kashmere (1986)
• Beyond the Core: The Worlds of Frontier Zone Five (1987)
• The Cygnus Conspiracy (1987)
• Space Master Companion (1987)
• League of Merchants (1988)
• Space Master Combat Screen (1988)
• Tales from Deep Space: Perils on the Imperial Frontier (1988)
• War on a Distant Moon: The Tayan Revolution (1988)
• The Durandrium Find: Salvation for House Augustus-Hayes (1989)
• Raiders from the Frontier: House Jade-London Besieged (1989)
• Star Strike (1989)
• Vessel Compendium #1: Adventurer Class (1989)
• Vessel Compendium #2: Pursuit Class (1989)

The Games Machine reviewed Space Master – The Roleplaying Game and stated that “Not everyone will like Space Master. The rules make few concessions to ease of learning, and players without experience of other roles will have a really tough time. But as a detailed, flexible, science-fiction system it has a lot to commend it.”^[3]

In his 1990 book The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games, game critic Rick Swan noted “With page after page of tables, charts, and numbers, Space Master is the most demanding outer space RPG ever published … The character creation and combat systems alone take up most of the 128-page Player Book.” In a more positive light, Swan found “excellent, detailed systems for planet creation, robots, psionics, and the most comprehensive equipment catalog for science-fiction gaming I’ve ever seen.” Swan concluded by giving the game a rating of 2.5 out of 4, saying, “Be warned, however, that there’s no such thing as a casual player of Space Master — this is science fiction for accountants.”^[4]

• Casus Belli #48^[5]