Homebrewing

[Ran Targas]

^ Excellent points Endersig; what I managed to post really only gets you the black&white picture. You eventually have to add the color.

A bunch of books I cherish are the GURPS:Space atlases; I have 1-4 and don't know if they printed more. Each lists about 15-20 planets/systems with a page of details, including adventure ideas. Much more information than an UWP could ever imply. I try to duplicate this same effort for every system I build, so I can make sure everything meshes.

Another thing I try to do to sear an image into the minds of my players immediately is to write a short paragraph about what the system looks like when they arrive. Crowded jump points, archaic traffic control systems, large scale orbital construction, an overwhelming patrol presence, constant radio chatter, asteroids lit up by belter torches, etc. The more spice the better the flavor.

I find it just as important and useful as the usual spiel most GM's give when the PC's arrive at the main world.

 

[Ran Targas]

^ Excellent points Endersig; what I managed to post really only gets you the black&white picture. You eventually have to add the color.

A bunch of books I cherish are the GURPS:Space atlases; I have 1-4 and don't know if they printed more. Each lists about 15-20 planets/systems with a page of details, including adventure ideas. Much more information than an UWP could ever imply. I try to duplicate this same effort for every system I build, so I can make sure everything meshes.

Another thing I try to do to sear an image into the minds of my players immediately is to write a short paragraph about what the system looks like when they arrive. Crowded jump points, archaic traffic control systems, large scale orbital construction, an overwhelming patrol presence, constant radio chatter, asteroids lit up by belter torches, etc. The more spice the better the flavor.

I find it just as important and useful as the usual spiel most GM's give when the PC's arrive at the main world.

 

[RobertFisher]

Originally posted by Flynn:
BTW, Martin J. Dougherty wrote an excellent article outlining a similar approach for COTI about two years ago:

Urg. Now I have to consider subscribing.

Thanks for the replys so far & any yet to come.

Personally, if I start to deviate too far from the assumptions of Bks1-3, I would start considering GURPS. I think there's a lot of universes that fit those assumptions without being "the 3rd Imperium with the serial numebers filed off", though.

Although, I am thinking that, if I get a campaign established, I might start introducing alternate FTL tech & such. It always made sense to me that isolated cultures might develop different FTL technologies. Although, once contact is made, one might very well prove superior & obsolete the other.

But back to the topic at hand: I've been kind of thinking along the lines of a empire that covers a subsector & portions of the surrounding 8 subsectors. Then I'll place some rival interstellar states along the borders.

I'll probably take the Zhodani & one other alien from OTU. (Hivers perhaps?) Then maybe create an alien race or two of my own.

I'd really like to start with just one world & generate the universe as the PCs go. But then the players will no doubt demand to look up star charts that would certainly exist. They'll at least ask questions that I might not be able to answer without a map. ("Is there a J1 route going this direction?") So maybe I ought to go ahead & map all 9 subsectors. Or at least 4 or so.

I think random generation + tweaking is the way to go. I don't want the universe to be too designed, but I want to turn almost interesting situations into interesting ones.

 

[RobertFisher]

Originally posted by Flynn:
BTW, Martin J. Dougherty wrote an excellent article outlining a similar approach for COTI about two years ago:

Urg. Now I have to consider subscribing.

Thanks for the replys so far & any yet to come.

Personally, if I start to deviate too far from the assumptions of Bks1-3, I would start considering GURPS. I think there's a lot of universes that fit those assumptions without being "the 3rd Imperium with the serial numebers filed off", though.

Although, I am thinking that, if I get a campaign established, I might start introducing alternate FTL tech & such. It always made sense to me that isolated cultures might develop different FTL technologies. Although, once contact is made, one might very well prove superior & obsolete the other.

But back to the topic at hand: I've been kind of thinking along the lines of a empire that covers a subsector & portions of the surrounding 8 subsectors. Then I'll place some rival interstellar states along the borders.

I'll probably take the Zhodani & one other alien from OTU. (Hivers perhaps?) Then maybe create an alien race or two of my own.

I'd really like to start with just one world & generate the universe as the PCs go. But then the players will no doubt demand to look up star charts that would certainly exist. They'll at least ask questions that I might not be able to answer without a map. ("Is there a J1 route going this direction?") So maybe I ought to go ahead & map all 9 subsectors. Or at least 4 or so.

I think random generation + tweaking is the way to go. I don't want the universe to be too designed, but I want to turn almost interesting situations into interesting ones.

 

[jappel]

Here's some thoughts to consider for choosing a starting location - a jumping-off point for your adventurers, at least in the early parts of your campaign.

Pick or create a spot that lies at the juncture of several branches of a J1 main, or just off it - say as part of a four-world cluster with three J1 routes leading out of it. Junctures of natural trade routes are always interesting, and you've got a built-in justification for a moderate-to-high flow of starship traffic, increasing your options for plausible patron encouters.

Consider putting this between two or more stellar powers, or just inside or outside one. This provides some natural built-in tension and potential conflict from the larger universe, and if you set it outside of the major powers, spares you from having to create too much detail about them right away. You'll still want to flesh them out a bit of course (if nothing else to know why there is conflict).

If you can find a copy of Pocket Empires from T4 (available at Drive-Thru RPG if no where else), you'll find a great set of cultural characteristics tables. Since I discovered them I've had great fun rolling up (and then tweaking) cultures for the various polities in my hombrew TU that I hadn't gotten to yet.

I like "average stellar tech level", i.e. CT/MT TLS 10-12, worlds for a "homebase" setting. This lets you create a futuristic setting but allows you to have even cooler, more high-tech stuff around but not right at hand. It has the side effect of letting you use truly top-line stuff as an incentive ("As payment for this mission, here's a voucher good for a TL 15 powerplant for your vessel.")

Other thoughts:

One great way to capitalize on the wealth of OTU material without dragging along all the baggage is to port over the aliens. Simply drop the OTU histories and you can bring in the Aslan, Hivers, K'Kree etc. over almost whole. Uplifted terrestrial races like Ursa and Dolphins don't take much work and gives you a rationale for the Vargr (and who doesn't love the furballs?). And don't neglect the possibility that other races may have uplifted species from their worlds too.

I've personally dumped the human minor races except for the Zhodani - the old-time CT'er in me just has to have the mind-raping scum around.

I just treat them as a distinct human culture that embraces psionics.

Think about PCs as aliens, if you have aliens. Ditto psionics. Deferring PCs from playing aliens or psionic characters until the group gets the hang of the system may or may not make sense for you & your players - but I suggest thinking it through and possibly talking it over with them. Personally, I think having a non-human or two in a party adds a lot to the game, and certainly gives the GM more hooks.

I personally like keeping the bulk of the stellar powers fairly small, but having a couple of larger pocket empires around gives you the option for a "big ship" universe if you want one. It likely also means that the heavies aren't common sights, so while the 4,000 dton patrol frigate won't raise too many eyebrows when it comes to call, the 50k dton battlecruiser will. Plus, it's good to have someone who can send in said battlecruiser (and it's compliment of marines) to straighten out a situation when things go off the deep end.

Regards,

John

 

[jappel]

Here's some thoughts to consider for choosing a starting location - a jumping-off point for your adventurers, at least in the early parts of your campaign.

Pick or create a spot that lies at the juncture of several branches of a J1 main, or just off it - say as part of a four-world cluster with three J1 routes leading out of it. Junctures of natural trade routes are always interesting, and you've got a built-in justification for a moderate-to-high flow of starship traffic, increasing your options for plausible patron encouters.

Consider putting this between two or more stellar powers, or just inside or outside one. This provides some natural built-in tension and potential conflict from the larger universe, and if you set it outside of the major powers, spares you from having to create too much detail about them right away. You'll still want to flesh them out a bit of course (if nothing else to know why there is conflict).

If you can find a copy of Pocket Empires from T4 (available at Drive-Thru RPG if no where else), you'll find a great set of cultural characteristics tables. Since I discovered them I've had great fun rolling up (and then tweaking) cultures for the various polities in my hombrew TU that I hadn't gotten to yet.

I like "average stellar tech level", i.e. CT/MT TLS 10-12, worlds for a "homebase" setting. This lets you create a futuristic setting but allows you to have even cooler, more high-tech stuff around but not right at hand. It has the side effect of letting you use truly top-line stuff as an incentive ("As payment for this mission, here's a voucher good for a TL 15 powerplant for your vessel.")

Other thoughts:

One great way to capitalize on the wealth of OTU material without dragging along all the baggage is to port over the aliens. Simply drop the OTU histories and you can bring in the Aslan, Hivers, K'Kree etc. over almost whole. Uplifted terrestrial races like Ursa and Dolphins don't take much work and gives you a rationale for the Vargr (and who doesn't love the furballs?). And don't neglect the possibility that other races may have uplifted species from their worlds too.

I've personally dumped the human minor races except for the Zhodani - the old-time CT'er in me just has to have the mind-raping scum around.

I just treat them as a distinct human culture that embraces psionics.

Think about PCs as aliens, if you have aliens. Ditto psionics. Deferring PCs from playing aliens or psionic characters until the group gets the hang of the system may or may not make sense for you & your players - but I suggest thinking it through and possibly talking it over with them. Personally, I think having a non-human or two in a party adds a lot to the game, and certainly gives the GM more hooks.

I personally like keeping the bulk of the stellar powers fairly small, but having a couple of larger pocket empires around gives you the option for a "big ship" universe if you want one. It likely also means that the heavies aren't common sights, so while the 4,000 dton patrol frigate won't raise too many eyebrows when it comes to call, the 50k dton battlecruiser will. Plus, it's good to have someone who can send in said battlecruiser (and it's compliment of marines) to straighten out a situation when things go off the deep end.

Regards,

John

 

[aramis]

My personal favorite OTU-ish setting mechanic, which has only a minor hiccough with canon, is to put a homegrown into a large pocket universe, created by one of Grandfather's Grandchildren, with a (well concealed on both ends) gate or two back to the main universe.... Said child was aa collector. Might still be there, if he thought to fake his own death well enough.

 

[aramis]

My personal favorite OTU-ish setting mechanic, which has only a minor hiccough with canon, is to put a homegrown into a large pocket universe, created by one of Grandfather's Grandchildren, with a (well concealed on both ends) gate or two back to the main universe.... Said child was aa collector. Might still be there, if he thought to fake his own death well enough.