Triplanetary is a science fiction board wargame originally published by Game Designers' Workshop in 1973. The game is a simulation of space ship travel and combat within the Solar System in the early 21st Century. History First edition Triplanetary was designed by Marc W. Miller and John Harshman, loosely based on novels and short stories from the Golden Age of Science Fiction, particularly the Future History works of Robert Heinlein. Triplanetary was originally conceived as the first part of a proposed series of games that was to be named "The Stars! The Stars!" As Miller related, a late-night session of Lensman with Harshman using blank hex-grid battle board combat "inspired the design for Triplanetary, with its image of our solar system and use of vector movement". In 1976, GDW released Triplanetary Variant V/2, an expansion of the suggested "Prospecting" scenario that was part of the original Errata sheets. Second edition GDW published a second edition of the game in 1981. The packaging was changed from the cardboard tube to a standard box. The paper map and acetate overlay were replaced by a plastic-coated map, but players still plotted their vectors using a supplied grease pencil. A few changes were made to the rules, mainly from the originally published errata sheet. Several changes were made to the scenarios: two were dropped, four were added and the other four were modified; the total number of scenarios increased from six to eight. This edition had a box cover by Rich Banner. Third edition In 1989, Steve Jackson acquired the rights to the game, with ambitions to release a new version of the game in 1991 that would tighten up a number of rules to improve play. After various delays, the third edition was finally released by Steve Jackson Games in 2018. Contents The game was originally packaged in a square cardboard tube, which contained a 16-page book of rules (with four pages of errata and clarifications that included two additional scenarios); a hex map of the inner Solar System; a clear acetate overlay for the map, a grease pencil, a set of cardboard counters representing the various spaceships, and a 6-sided die. The map included the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and the Moon, Mars, two of the largest asteroids in the Asteroid belt as well as a hex for a secret asteroid base, and Jupiter, along with the four largest Jovian moons. For