Justifiers RPG - ©Starchilde productions 1988.

This is one of those charming games that you stumble upon now and then with a really unique concept. Similar in genre to Traveller (GDW), being space opera rather than SCIENCE fiction, the rules are relatively simple, fast and fun to play. Written and illustrated by Gideon (aka Clifford Van Meter) and sadly out of print, look out for this in second hand bookstores

You are Beta Humanoids half animal, half human, genetically engineered by the corporations to do the dirty and dangerous work of planetary exploration or justification as it is otherwise known. You're expendable, and you owe the corporations everything including the cost of making you what you are. PC's are sent on missions to investigate new worlds courtesy of a device called the Transmatt which beams your shuttle craft into orbit.

With this simple premise there's plenty of potential for highly complex political / espionage subplots as your team encounters other justifiers from rival corporations or political renegades fighting for beta-human rights.

Percentile based attributes and skills cover all the major mechanical aspects of the system lending to an extremely short learning curve for players and fast gameplay. The core rulebook includes a whole host of beta species for you to start with, but basically any animal species can be integrated into the game system. If that doesn't take your fancy then you can also play a human, augmented human (cyborg) or a human from heavy gravity worlds (heavy-G humans). A full catalogue of weapons, vehicles and equipment is also covered in the rulebook giving your team all it needs to fulfil it's mission with maximum profit potential.

JUSTIFIERS LINKS ON THE WEB

There aren't many, can't think why...

GIDEON (AKA. CLIFFORD VAN METER)

Clifford Van Meter is now a full time illustrator, and some of his work can be seen at Ardeon.org and archetypal.com

JUSTIFIERS

Justifiers to Villains & Vigilantes - Vehicle transliterations: http://www.patric.net/morpheus/legend/justifiers_vandv.html

GURPS Justifiers Transliterations - http://www.delcarsdungeon.com/GURPS/Justifiers.htm

Justify My Love by Kurt Brown (RPGaction.com) - http://www.rpgaction.com/articles/columns.asp?action=article&articleid=68

RPG.Net review by Papyrus - http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/reviews/rev_1802.html

Gurps Net Digests -

Northcoast Roleplaying - http://www.northcoast.com/~oss1ncrp/Justifiers.html - terrible website

If anyone reading this knows any more Justifiers links or related please e-mail me.