 September 15, 2007 - 8:48am | I'm at a loss on how to start with this because I don't know "how big" the SF Universe is.
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September 15, 2007 - 9:15am | Well, either Star Frontiers map designers assumed that there would be a habitable planet on every single system, or there are stars between the stars that haven't been mapped. At the same time, most of the stars on the current Zeb's map haven't been described in detail. They're open to development. Additionally, there are plenty more worlds beyond known space to explore. |
September 16, 2007 - 4:41pm | (snip) or there are stars between the stars that haven't been mapped. Interesting. In SF1, wasn't the Zebulon star system just opened? and if so how was it opened? how do you chart new or find new systems in SF? ... 
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 September 17, 2007 - 7:40am | I go either way with this... Option 1: Since Star Frontiers takes a more hard science approach to things... it's realistic to assume that not all star systems will have habitable planets. Some limited terraforming is possible (some descriptions mention this in some sources), but putting mining colonies on uninhabitable planets should be possible, as well as other resource-gathering installations (or even factories that produce too much waste to be safe for a habitable planet?). So I think we can focus our tables on more realistic findings, can't we? Option 2: Some star system generators found on the net ensure a habitable planet (or at least seem to have an inordinately high percent chance of one existing). That's unrealistic, but in a RPG not so bad. Maybe it's okay for us to have tables that skew the planetary environments towards the cinematic rather than the realistic? Heck - in Star Wars, even a large asteroid was safe to walk around on with nothing but breathing gear (until they found out it was a giant worm creature... yikes!). So we need to decide which way to lean with these tables.... or perhaps have two columns for every table "Realistic" and "Cinematic" and individual Referees can roll on the column to suit their tastes. 3. We wear sungoggles during the day. Not because the sun affects our
vision, but when you're cool like us the sun shines all the time. |
September 17, 2007 - 10:11am | I highly suggest always having at least 1 minable or habitable planet or asteroid belt. People aren't going to want to roll a hundred times to find just one minable or habitable resource in among a bunch of useless systems. |
September 17, 2007 - 10:13am | I also suggest just starting out with about 50 or so minable or habitable planets and asteroids, because you can always add more later. |
September 17, 2007 - 10:17am | Come to think about it, a separate asteroid belt generator would be cool. That way, someone can generate an asteroid in a known system. Perhaps they could even have the option to input the mineable ores in the asteroid belt and it would randomize how much of those ores can be found in a particular asteroid along with its shape and size. You know, Ord Mantell, from Star Wars is a habitable asteroid with its own atmosphere and moon. |
November 29, 2007 - 8:51pm | I go either way with this... Option 1: Since Star Frontiers takes a more hard science approach to things... it's realistic to assume that not all star systems will have habitable planets. Some limited terraforming is possible (some descriptions mention this in some sources), but putting mining colonies on uninhabitable planets should be possible, as well as other resource-gathering installations (or even factories that produce too much waste to be safe for a habitable planet?). So I think we can focus our tables on more realistic findings, can't we? Option 2: Some star system generators found on the net ensure a habitable planet (or at least seem to have an inordinately high percent chance of one existing). That's unrealistic, but in a RPG not so bad. Maybe it's okay for us to have tables that skew the planetary environments towards the cinematic rather than the realistic? Heck - in Star Wars, even a large asteroid was safe to walk around on with nothing but breathing gear (until they found out it was a giant worm creature... yikes!). So we need to decide which way to lean with these tables.... or perhaps have two columns for every table "Realistic" and "Cinematic" and individual Referees can roll on the column to suit their tastes. In the d100 tables I offer to roll random or use the Habitable only column. Both columns are allowed to use the Stellar Feature Table |
