The INDEX

A good index can determine whether an RPG can stack up with the industry greats. After all, the ability to quickly navigate through a text for clarification of rules and concepts can easily make or break a gaming session. Today, I will be breaking down the hardback cover of Transit: The Spaceship RPG into the three most important categories to consider (The Three Ls of Any Worthwhile Index) when evaluating whether or not an index is worth your time as a reader or index enthusiast.

LOCATION: One of the most important considerations when looking at an index is to consider it's placement within the text itself. Oddly, the Index is not mentioned within the Table of Contents, which I can only imagine is due to jealousy on the part of the ToC, as it is well known that the ToC is the wannabe heir to a well crafted index's throne. Therefore, to discover the index, I found myself pouring through 217 pages of beautifully layed out lore and rules for the game itself. Elegant and original art by JJ Ariosa (http://jjariosa.art/) can be found throughout the core of this book, either marking the books division into three parts or highlighting various ships your imagination could create through the play of this game. Along the journey to the index, I also noticed that the text is color coded, assisting the reader in differentiating between crunch and lore, which I appreciate from an aesthetic standpoint and makes the already easy to digest text pleasant to look through when searching for the index. After a bit of perusing through, taking in the sights as it were, I found myself coming to page 218, where i saw in large bolded letters the words i had longed to see: Index. Out of a total of 231 pages, the index can be found between pages 218 and 227, with the remainder of the books page's used for Acknowledgements, a legitimate Bibliography, and pages of blank sheets for the readers own Notes, which i found a nice touch. Placing the Index towards the back of the text was not a bold move by the writers, i wont mince words about that, but it was a practical and familiar move. It reminded me of simpler times at my Grandmother's estate in the summers of my youth, the smell of apple pie and warmth of the hearth envoloping me as we sat around the fire, listening to her read Index's out to lull me into drifting off into dreamland. This is the feeling the placement of all index's should hope to aspire to, and Transit did not disappoint. 5/5.

LAYOUT When considering a layout of an Index, the layman might assume that simply placing items in an alphabetical ordering and including page numbers may suffice. To the more discerning reviewer such as myself, there are a few other factors that must be considered by the writer to be worthy of a good review. To start off, Transit's Index uses a three tier division strategy to break down the information in the index. First: A Bolded Letter announcing the differences between each item categorization, placed in alphabetical order. Second: Bolded items are placed in alphabetical order within the previously mentioned alphabetical catergorization, sort of like Inception for you movie buffs: an Alphabetical within an Alphabetical. Finally, the page numbers are listed in ascending order so that you may easily slow through the choices in a way that makes the most mathematical sense. The words typed on the white page are black, which makes for extremely easy reading. Each item listed is separated by a space, which reduces confusion when trying to differentiate similar looking items listed (IE: the item 'Look' and the item 'Looks'). This is a nice touch that while many in the industry may consider unnecessary, I personal appreciate. Overall, he layout is pleasing to me, though if I were to give one minor criticism (I were), I would suggest italicizing the page number for given items in which the concept is defined, for even easier reference. Overall, tough, this did not detract enough from my reading to warrant a toss into the 'Pile of Shame', so I am happy to move on to the next point. 4.82/5.

L'ACCURACY I now come to the most important portion of any worthwhile review of a books index, which is the in depth look at the accuracy of the page numbers for given terms. To properly conduct this review, I conducted my three step index research method to determine indexes ability to guide me to my desired destination, which scholars may refer someday to as the DUH Method.

1. Determine an item at random.

2. Understand that the page number listed near the item is the desired location and navigate to the given page

3. Happily peruse the given page until you find the item.

Utilyzing the DUH method, I chose three items at random and attempted to see if the terms could be found. Item one, the item 'Demonstrate the Drawbacks of One of their Assets', listed pages 138 and 140 and I'll be danged if this item wasnt found on both of these pages. Item 2, the item UI, promptly led me on a merry journey to the item 'User Interface', which in turn led me to the pages 21, 32, 33, 55, 59, 60, and 63. As you may have hoped, each page listed did include the phrase User Interface. Finally , item 3 'Hit Them, Hard!' listed pages 31 and 204 and I will be a monkey's fathers's brother if i didnt not inform you that this phrase was found in both locations. An interesting find in using my DUH method (patent pending) was that page 204 is found in a listing of Quick References for game terms, which will be useful to anyine who picks up this well indexed game. Overall, the L'accuracy of the index was found to be as satisfying as the looks on my player's faces when I introduce this gameto my table. 5.18/5

There you have it! The Index of Transit: The Spaceship RPG has been found to cover the Three Ls of Any Worthwhile Index. If you liked this review, please consider purchasing this game so that you to may be able to take part in the fun and excitement of playing the AI of your very own galaxy traveling vessel.

TL:DNR - the DUH method is pending patent, please be conservative in your personal application until royalties can be collected.