You're an explorer commanding the newest starship in the fleet, or... a brilliant scientist seeking a cure for a deadly alien virus, or... a battle-weary space marine fighting to protect the galaxy, or... any other SF hero you can imagine! EXPERIENCE THE FUTURE - ONE ADVENTURE AT A TIME! This roleplaying game provides a framework for all kinds of contemporary to far-future science fiction adventures. The Player's Handbook, the companion volume to the ALTERNITY Gamemaster Guide, contains everything players need to create SF heroes and play the ALTERNITY game, including: An easy-to-learn game system designed around a unique dice mechanic. A "Fast-Play" chapter that teaches the basics and quickly gets you into the action. Rules for generating a wide variety of unique heroes - including five alien hero species. Many distinct character professions and careers that allow you to further refine and define your characters - from bounty hunters to computer hackers, starship pilots to interplanetary traders. Simple yet wide-ranging rules presented in a format that lets you add levels of complexity as desired. Optional rules for mutants, psionics, and cybernetics. Plenty of equipment covering a variety of technological levels - computers, vehicles, starships, armor, weapons, and assorted gear. A compilation of tables and forms that players need, plus a comprehensive index. TSR--the company that virtually invented role-playing with their ground-breaking Dungeons and Dragons --now brings you the brave new world of Alternity , 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," Alternity is much more flexible than D&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. Alternity emphasizes storytelling over statistics, and players are encouraged to use their role-playing skills and imaginations. But your polyhedron dice will still get a workout; Alternity employs 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. The Player's Handbook (along with the Alternity 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