Ad Astra Games
Encyclopedia
Ad Astra Games is a company that produces boardgames, miniatures wargames
and role-playing game
s. It was founded in 2004 by Ken Burnside. The chief operating officer is former West End Games
founder Daniel Scott Palter, and the office manager is Sam Pray, husband of horror and gothic romance writer Terri Pray. Ad Astra's licenses include the universe of David Weber
's Honor Harrington
books (the "Honorverse
") and the Traveller
-based space combat game Power Projection: Fleets. They also publish the magazine Nexus Journal.
Ad Astra Games produces pewter miniatures in support of the Attack Vector, Honor Harrington and Traveller lines, as well as full color source books on the militaries of the Honor Harrington Universe, such as Jayne's Intelligence Review: The Royal Manticoran Navy and Jayne's Intelligence Review: The Havenite Republican Navy, as well as other Honor Harrington merchandise. The name "Jayne's" is a pun on the naval books by Fred T. Jane
.
Other products Ad Astra produces include calendars, tee shirts, patches and window clings for the Honorverse product line, and role-playing games set in their various licenses using a variant of the West End Games' D6
game engine, including War World, Tran and the Honorverse.
for Best Miniatures Rules for Attack Vector: Tactical
(AV:T). That game engine was adapted to David Weber
's Honor Harrington
Universe (the "Honorverse
") for Saganami Island Tactical Simulator
(SITS), first edition. SITS second edition uses a streamlined version of those mechanics, to allow several ships to be flown in squadron level actions.
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
and role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s. It was founded in 2004 by Ken Burnside. The chief operating officer is former West End Games
West End Games
West End Games was a company that made board, role-playing, and war games. It was founded by Daniel Scott Palter in 1974 in New York, but later moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania...
founder Daniel Scott Palter, and the office manager is Sam Pray, husband of horror and gothic romance writer Terri Pray. Ad Astra's licenses include the universe of David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
's Honor Harrington
Honor Harrington
Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington is a fictional character, the heroine of a series of military science fiction books set in the "Honorverse", written by David Weber and published by Baen Books....
books (the "Honorverse
Honorverse
The Honorverse refers to the military science fiction book series and sub-series created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The series is set primarily after Honor Harrington's October 1, 3961, birth; although she is the protagonist in most of the stories, more recent entries make only...
") and the Traveller
Traveller (role-playing game)
Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. The game was inspired from such classic science fiction stories as the Dumarest saga series by...
-based space combat game Power Projection: Fleets. They also publish the magazine Nexus Journal.
Ad Astra Games produces pewter miniatures in support of the Attack Vector, Honor Harrington and Traveller lines, as well as full color source books on the militaries of the Honor Harrington Universe, such as Jayne's Intelligence Review: The Royal Manticoran Navy and Jayne's Intelligence Review: The Havenite Republican Navy, as well as other Honor Harrington merchandise. The name "Jayne's" is a pun on the naval books by Fred T. Jane
Fred T. Jane
John Fredrick Thomas Jane was the founding editor of reference books on warships and aircraft . He also once kidnapped Victor Grayson MP in a political stunt....
.
Other products Ad Astra produces include calendars, tee shirts, patches and window clings for the Honorverse product line, and role-playing games set in their various licenses using a variant of the West End Games' D6
D6 System
The D6 System is a role-playing game system published by West End Games and licensees. While the system is primarily intended for pen-and-paper role-playing games, variations of the system have also been used in live action role-playing games and miniature battle games...
game engine, including War World, Tran and the Honorverse.
Awards
Ad Astra Games won the 2004 Origins AwardOrigins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Miniatures Rules for Attack Vector: Tactical
Attack Vector: Tactical
Attack Vector: Tactical is a space combat wargame published by Ad Astra Games. The game is consciously designed to model comparatively realistic space combat and eschew common conventions of space warfare...
(AV:T). That game engine was adapted to David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
's Honor Harrington
Honor Harrington
Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington is a fictional character, the heroine of a series of military science fiction books set in the "Honorverse", written by David Weber and published by Baen Books....
Universe (the "Honorverse
Honorverse
The Honorverse refers to the military science fiction book series and sub-series created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The series is set primarily after Honor Harrington's October 1, 3961, birth; although she is the protagonist in most of the stories, more recent entries make only...
") for Saganami Island Tactical Simulator
Saganami Island Tactical Simulator
Saganami Island Tactical Simulator is a tabletop wargame set in the Honorverse, a series of military science fiction novels written by David Weber and others and published by Baen Books. The first edition was based on the Attack Vector: Tactical game engine, whereas the second edition featured a...
(SITS), first edition. SITS second edition uses a streamlined version of those mechanics, to allow several ships to be flown in squadron level actions.