Stardate (magazine)

Stardate was a gaming magazine with an unusual publishing history. 
==FASA issues (Vol 1)==
The magazine's first seven issues (two were "double issues", making the run five in total) were originally published by FASA. Its subtitle called it "The Magazine of Science Fiction and Gaming", even though it focused primarily on their and its supplements. Most of the articles were written by the same authors that worked on the game. The most notable columns in the magazine at this point were "Ask Starfleet Command" (the letters column, focusing on rule clarifications), "Making Your First Million" (an "active" supplement to Trader Captains and Merchant Princes) and "Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy" (new starship designs to use with the game, often relating to one of the new adventure modules published in each issue).
Issue # 	Month	Cover	Contents
1 (8411) 	 	 	Adventure: The Serpent Factor, Alcohol and Starfleet, Starship Troopers, Space Dock, Making Your First Million, Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
2 (8412) 	 	 	Adventure: Deneva Deception, Vulcan, Force of Law, Star Trek Menagerie, Making Your First Million (part 2), "The Killax Vendetta", Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
3/4 (8501)	 	 	Adventure: Safari in Violet, "Planetfall", Personnel File UFP, Understanding Warp Drive, Making Your First Million (part 3), Tau Omega III, Interview: James Doohan, Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
5/6 (8502)	 	 	Adventure: Continuing the Line, "Carrier", Making Your First Million (part 4), Robots in Star Trek, "The Soul of Caesar", Quartermaster Corps, Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
7 	 	 	"Boarding Party", Star Trek Menagerie, "Coronation Presumptuous", Quartermaster Corps, Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
==Associates International issues (Vol 2)==
From issues 8 to 11 (of which 9 to 11 are referred to in the publishing notes as "Volume 2"), publication was taken over by Associates International, Inc. and the coverage expanded to other RPGs and table-top games, both by FASA (such as their Doctor Who RPG and Battletech games) and not. Additionally, the magazine expanded into professional and non-professional fan fiction and comic strips. The magazine's new subtitle, "The Multi-Media Science Fiction Magazine" reflected most of the changes. Various new columns tended to replace those in the FASA-published version of the magazine, although one that was maintained was "Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy", which added one to three new ships per issue.
Issue #	Month	Cover	Contents
8 	 	 	"Each Prisoner Pent", Interview Charles Platt, Adventure: Operation Shadowfall, "The Truce", "The Rosey-Cheeked Girl Who Danced on the Deck of the Titanic", Star Bases, Comics: "On the Brightside" and "Roller Derby", Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
9 (v2) 	 	 	"Cycles", "Bye, Bye Lullabies", Adventure: The Barrier of Essai, "Group Phenomena", "Dear Ybba", Comics: "On the Brightside" and "Roller Derby", Quartermaster Corps, Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
10 (v2)	 	 	"Sarkanger [AAA Ace]", "It's Not How You Play the Game", "What It's Like to Kill a Man", "Killing the Lambs of God", "Return of Dear Ybba", Adventure: Orion Rising, Comics: "Sonic Curiosity", "On the Brightside" and "Roller Derby", Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
11 (v2)	 	 	"The Right Place", "Room to Grow", "The Man Who Did Tricks with Glass", "A Close Shave", "Coming of Age in the Greenhouse", "Revenge of Dear Ybba", Worlds of the Treaty Exploration Zone, Dayen, Comics: "Aliens Among Us" and "Sonic Curiosity", Quartermaster Corps
==Reluctant Publishing issues (Vol 3)==
Volume 3 of the title's run was published by Reluctant Publishing, Ltd. The format slowly aimed more toward Battletech and only peripherally focused on the Star Trek RPG. The magazine began to refer to itself as "The Science Fiction Gaming Resource" to reflect its expanded coverage of role-playing and fighting games (and lesser amount of fan fiction), as well as its expanded size (usually over one hundred pages per issue). The Star Trek RPG was still featured, but nowhere near as prominently.
Issue #	Month 	Cover	Contents
1 (v3) 	 	 	Adventure: The Hottest Blood of All, Buzzword generator, Psionics, "Half the Battle", Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
2 (v3) 	 	 	Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
3 (v3) 	 	 	Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
4 (v3) 	Summer 1987	 	Adventure: Operation Kingmaker, Protomatter, Body Armor, Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
5 (v3) 	 	 	Star Trek IV updates, Science Officers, AXE Suit, Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
6 (v3) 	Winter 1987	 	Interview: David Deitrick, Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
==StarDrive==
After issue 6 of the third run, the next issue carried a new title, StarDrive and a restart of both Volume and Issue at 1. This wound up being the last issue published, as Reluctant Publishing went out of business shortly thereafter.
Issue #	Month	Cover	Contents
1 (v1) 	 	 	Adventure: Another Piece of the Action, Tactics of the Imperial Klingon Navy, Bar Trek, The Land that Time Befuddled – Alpha Cygni, Jaynz Ships of the Galaxy
==External link==
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Category:Role-playing games
Category:Magazines