 September 16, 2011 - 7:32pm | Time to start detailing the Formad Cluster. There was some discussion earlier here: http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/4388 Shadowshack did some work with it a while back here: http://www.starfrontiers.us/node/2297 Content of Star Frontiers: Beyond the Frontier project the Vast Freehold (Pirate Territories)Here's a prototype of the pirate systems from my campaign. I originally had them "south" of the Frontier but decided they would be better served "west" instead. Since the Star Devils are the reigning faction, it just made sense to have the entryway close to Zebulon since that is their "first appearance" in the Frontier.
) Used with permission from Gergmaster This should be a collaborative thread and we should go with majority opinion and work something up. There is some rough idea concerning pirates and sathar and as far as I'm concerned both work but we should keep our minds open. There is great fodder for KHs scenarios with this and whether its pirates or sathar or other I think we can bang out some KHs scenarios for the zine eventually. we should debate the astrographic details of the cluster first. Once we know the ground we can build "story" off of that. Of course if you have an idea sing out I just know that I like to start from the ground up in case the terrains suggest a story. 1. The cluster is sort of unique and thats ok with me. But do we want each binary to be identical to the next? I would think that is stretching it. So I'm for some varriation in the types and size of stars. 2. Next issue is real estate: planets- again I'm not for each system having inhabitable real estate. My preference is one system with inhabitable and non inhabitable real estate. One system with non inhabitable real estate but a large dense planet with lots of exploitable resources. One system fairly desolate with not much of apparent interest. But those are just my preferences. 3. Sathar make a lot of sense as having at least a jump route through the cluster. but a base makes for some action. Pirates make sense but to my mind they would not have major base here as they have to route through Capella and the Ifshnits are not sweet on commerce raiders. So I'd vote for pirates but a small hideout that is dominated by humma. the 3rd binary system that I proposed as desolate would be a great location for a derelict craft and a bug hunt scenario "bring your 12 gauge in case of close encounters of the worst kind." Note to self: stufy up on barry centers. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 16, 2011 - 8:09pm | I'm likeing the idea of the two stars and at least one planet being in the same plane as they orbit since they were all formed together but a captured planet that orbits on an angle radically different to this plane. In the desolate system I like the idea of lots and lots of asteroids and rubble from failled planet formation- something to make travel dicey. Edit: Sorry the more I start to think about this the more ideas pop into my head- Basic idea is like in the two hour pilot of firefly (not the train job but the one that aired after that but was the first pilot) where they're doing illegal salvage on a derelict and the "Feds" show up so the lie low to try to avoid detection. Just thinking that in the desolate system if the radiation of the binary stars is hashing sensor a ship may avoid dection. So what if there was a derelict vessel and the PCs were trying to investigate it when a sathar cruiser shows up and sends small craft with teams to board the derelict. Now you have a mystery ship and sathar boarding parties. PCs ship is small and no match for the sathar ship so it must go to ground which is easy if there is lots of rumble and asteroids. Best to have a NPC manning the store while the PCs board the derelict. Can he PCs unravel the mystery of this ship and deal with the sathar? What if the sathar detect and destroy the PC's ship? Who built the ship? What are the inherent dangers of the ship? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 September 16, 2011 - 8:46pm | Wow, I forgot all about that Vast Freeholds project. It was all on my old PC that self destructed...I probably have some notes scattered about my gaming stuff here though. I too see no need to make all six stars identical. In light of the recent discovery, I also see no reason to make them the same class side-by-side (re: one smaller than the other). |
 September 17, 2011 - 4:10am | don't overlook that they are all close enough to be a triplet of smaller systems with each other... with orbits at that scale on the order of 10-30k years, but still significant and effecting the shape of the rest of the sub-systems... that many stars, according to some models of accretion, they should have more of a chance to develop bodies at the planetary scale, and most of these would develop into the larger types and Jovians, and even 'sub-stars' (L,T,Y, and other cold dwarf companions, like siphoned dead whites) and with so many in a tight formation, they could have a better chance of collecting each others spin-offs into the larger system structure, additionally there is the high possibly of lots of dense outer-belts, and more probability of inner-belts instead of silicate-terrestrials due to; more interference from Jovian-effect gravities, internal instability collisions with the core elliptic structure, AND disturbances in speed of orbit from the proximity to long orbit companion-system passes. The 'Formad Cluster' appears to be taken as a misnomer, it is not a stellar cluster by definition, rather a close proximity of binaries (or multi-star systems), near enough to be a triple-binary system (likely with a few more 'lesser companions' and 'failed-stars' included in other single orbit positions.) The set-up is reminiscent of The 'Verse System as an example of comparison, but possibly a bit more spread out in volume (Formad as a triad of systems around two light years across - as opposed to The Verse being more of a complex double system, with multiple lesser secondaries in each and around both, and spread over a distance under one light year across.) Sorry, if this first pass is filled with less-than-scientific terminology... I'll try to track down the proper terms... here's to hoping I didn't add more confusion to confusion.  The Firefly example is the only example I can think of, and it really isn't any more accurate than comparing a Saturn to a Tatooine...  OH!!! and remember it only has to be habitably-stable for long enough to 'use' it, if there are no indigenous lifes to evolve there anyway. An unsuitable orbit for native life, can still remain stable for habitation and accept a transplanted biosphere for indefinite periods, on a civilizations timeframe, even on timeframes of multiple successive civilizations. A million years after the original seeders have let time turn their civilization to dust, their potted plants and parks flourish, and pets have gone feral... yet... The planet is not old enough to have developed a biosphere that complex on it's own. No cities, alien people, evidence of bodies, or technological artifacts remain, just a few unusual geological features, some cave-paintings, and a flourishing ecosystem that 'suddenly sprang into exsistance' according to geological evidence... an ecosystem with unusual diverse gaps, but is extremely non-hostile, even accommodating. Oh humans!!  We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
September 17, 2011 - 5:19am | I like the idea iggy put forward about an insect race in the announcement thread. In a system with heavy belt concentrations might explain the zurraquor's propensity for building ships out of giant asteroids. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 17, 2011 - 7:03am | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m689l0sjMmE&feature=related An example of how the systems might stabily interact... of course one of many possibilities... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIVe_xEv6zQ&feature=related This is why I would expect more bodies to be kicking around in the larger system structure... and I agree with the likelihood of at least one minimal body wasteland system is high... but after taking all large scale subsystems into account... the larger system might look more like this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RjesFB-o6o&feature=related with each one of these representing a single or binary system... three being dominate and of most interest, and three being small and innocuous. A ballet of stars and supporting dancers, performing a balanced display of organized chaos, on a scale of thousands of years between acts. The likelihood of a native species developing an advanced civilization without assistance is ridiculously low... but suitabilities over short periods, could watch many false starts and utter annihilations to contenders that could have been... a lucky few could have made contacts with outside assistance and been saved by mass migrations. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
September 17, 2011 - 8:57am | I don't think that the zurraquor need have evolved there perhaps they have settled there to exploit it because they like the view. Or perhaps they're better suited to a micro gravity so the sathar have assigned the rubble system to then in exchange for smelted metals for ship constriction. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 17, 2011 - 11:13am | The biggest problem with any serious threat in that system is it's proximity to Capella... The idea that there is a strong 'rebelious' Humma presence is an interesting idea, that several Osakar Curiosity Observers have established an Outlook Holding here as well makes sense, and that any location suitable for habitability is influenced by Ifshnit economics kind-of goes without saying. The Ifshnit are notorious for deceptive dirty dealings in their economic tactics, and likely pull the same double dealings with each other, they also have a propensity for organizing fronts and misdirections... and are known for working with groups that no one else will... especially pirates. It has been established that they have had some serious run ins with the Sathar within their trade-range, and it is known that they trade much further than they keep astrogation data to show for it, and other unknown members of the rim are rumored to exist that have not yet been showcased, and may not have a direct presence in the coalition politics. All together it is unlikely that the Ifshnit would overlook the resources of the Formad, or that the curiosity of the Osakar would have them pass it by either. As has been suggested that the Humma are not above believing in their superiority and are not always cooperative with the rest of the Rim Coalition as other members, and could easily strike-out on their own when given any opportunity. A hidden Sathar ship, base, or frequently used transit point of some kind also makes sense... but any recent activity would have been disturbed by the two wars, and shut down by the growing strength of the rim worlds coalition... So they want it back? of course! but all direct conflicts have so far failed, and the Sathar prefer to do things indirectly and make their enemies fight themselves anyway. Any Sathar presence is likely to be the same game they play everywhere else, only more aggressively. A political over-view of the Formad makes it a very dynamic and diverse alien melting-pot of inhuman intrigue... the core-four are the minority and the Rim-Three are the majority, normal social interactions of; custom, politics, and behavior, are not easily adapted to by Frontier citizens, or understood from a human perspective. Oh humans!! We discover a galactic community filled with multiple species of aliens, and the first thing we think about is "how can we have sex with them?".~ anymoose, somewhere on the net... so... if you square a square it becomes a cube... if you square a cube does it become an octoid? |
