''Saturnalia'' (or ''Sat'') is a

play by mail A play-by-mail game (also known as a PBM game, PBEM game, or a turn-based game) is a game played through postal mail, email or other digital media. Correspondence chess and Go (game), Go were among the first PBM games. ''Diplomacy (board game), D ...

(PBM) game with a fantasy setting that was first played by students at the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

before becoming a commercial enterprise in the United Kingdom.

Publication history

''Saturnalia'' was one of the first single-character

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...

PBM

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

s. Little 1988. p. 49. Neil Packer and Simon Letts designed the game. Also known as ''Sat'', ''Saturnalia'' was hand moderated. Wayne 1997. p. 36. Turn results in 1985 comprised an A4-sized page of small handwriting, with shorter or longer results resulting in adjusted turn fees. In 1987, Sloth Enterprises was formed to moderate a commercial version of the game. In an advertisement in the October 1986 issue of ''Adventurer'', Sloth Enterprises asserted that ''Saturnalia'' currently had a subscriber base of over 700 players, making it the largest single-player PBM game in the U.K. Saturnalia 1986. p. 3. By 1997, the game had been running for twenty years. Linda Little commented in the inaugural issue of ''

Games International ''Computer Games Magazine'' was a monthly computer and console gaming print magazine, founded in October 1988 as the United Kingdom publication ''Games International''. During its history, it was known variously as ''Strategy Plus'' (October 19 ...

'' that ''Saturnalia'' and other early fantasy PBMs were based on table-top RPGs such as ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

'' "in which the norm is to play a single adventurer trying to make his or her way in a pretty harsh world. The worlds in question tended to be low-tech with mythical beasts and various sentient races." A reviewer in 1985 also likened the game to ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Parkinson 1985. pp. 10–11. By 1997, the original two gamemasters (the game designers) had expanded to five, running six different "regions" within ''Saturnalia''. Wayne 1997. p. 37. These included "Neil's Area", run by Neil Packer, "Exile" run by John Davies, "North West" run by Colin Andrews, "Shyrley's Area", and "Simon's Area". Wayne 1997. pp. 41–42. Andrews also ran a North East region. Ives 1997. p. 30.

Gameplay

The game is set on the continent of Saturnalia, which has a variety of climates and a large cast of mythical creatures. Kavanaugh 1987. The rule book recommends that the character should be a follower of one of the fourteen deities — each gives the character some advantages, and allows the character to learn certain types of spells. The player distributes 250 points amongst combat, magical, vitality, scouting and perception, and then chooses the character's appearance and background. During the game, abilities will rise and fall with use or neglect, and the character's description might also change depending on interaction with others. Each character also starts with a Fame rating of zero, which will rise or fall depending on the character's deeds or crimes. The

gamemaster A gamemaster (GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, or storyteller) is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer role-playing game. They are m ...

arbitrates the outcome of combats, using variables such as relevant abilities, magic, and terrain. Players could achieve inclusion in the Top Ten Hall of Fame with a high score in fame or infamy. Parkinson 1985. p. 11.

Reception

In a 1985 issue of ''Flagship'', Ben Parkinson stated that it was "probably one of the best purely role-playing postal games on the market". Parkinson 1985. p. 10. In the July 1987 edition of ''

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'', Brendon Kavanagh admitted that "''Saturnalia'' has no really original features — in fact, as fantasy games go, it has little special about it at all." Despite this Kavanagh concluded "''Saturnalia'' is a simple but enjoyable game to play. Sloth Enterprises have run this multi-player game successfully for nearly two years now without any major problems that immediately spring to mind. ..If you enjoy role-playing games, you may well enjoy ''Saturnalia''."

Notes

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Bibliography

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