Alternity Player's Handbook (Alternity Sci-Fi Roleplaying, Core Book, 2800)
TSR--the company that virtually invented role-playing with their ground-breakingDungeons and Dragons--now brings you the brave new world ofAlternity, where players act out the adventures of heroes, citizens and scoundrels against a science-fiction backdrop populated with intriguing personalities and exotic aliens.  While not "generic,"Alternityis much more flexible thanD&D;or many other role-playing games on the market. The system promotes character creation (instead of random generation) and complete worldbuilding, and the rules allow the game to be set anytime between next week to the dawn of the fourth millennium.Alternityemphasizes storytelling over statistics, and players are encouraged to use their role-playing skills and imaginations. But your polyhedron dice will still get a workout;Alternityemploys a clever method of success determination that uses both a 20-sided die and second "situation" die that varies depending on the difficulty of the situation.ThePlayer's Handbook(along with theAlternity Gamemaster Guide)contains all the rules necessary to play, including a "Quick Rules" section that allows players to jump in quickly.  Additional sections cover character creation (featuring five alien races and several professions to choose from), mutations, psionics, weapons and equipment.--Matthew Baldwin