How will you use the upcoming Starship Geomorph book?

[Beerfume]

As many of you already know, I am in the process of creating a book of starship geomorphs, which are sections of starship deckplans that can be linked together to create a larger deckplan. The book will be approximately 160 pages and have over 400 geomorphs. My goal is to have the work finalized by late August or mid September. It will be a free PDF download from Yet Another Traveller Blog and I will not be going through a publisher to make hard copies. A sample of the book can be found here: Traveller Starship Geomorph Sample. I've received a lot of comments lately about completing the book, and I'm curious how people might use it. It might be helpful to review the sample before answering.

 

[infojunky]

So 15 by 30 and 30 by 30 meter bits? It depends on how well they match with the 15 by 30 tiles I have been working on.

Ok note I have been hand drawing 10 by 20 square geomorphs for a while now. Why because that is what fits on a piece of Legal paper in 1/100th scale. i.e. 15mm squares.

Have you figured out the what size they are when printed in the 1/2 inch square grid of AHL and the Fasa deckplans?

 

[Beerfume]

The big square geomorphs would be 10"x10", then 10"x5", and 5"x5" respectively for the others when printed so each grid was 1/2" on a side. I use that as the standard for my starship deck plans for use with 15mm figures.

 

[Fovean]

Great work! Big fan of your blog BTW, thanks for all the cool stuff there!

I like the use of curved and circular spaces a lot, creates a lot of visual interest as well as making spaces feel unique. Also, the extra details like offices, control areas, computer access, etc are very nice.

The spaces are really big, like capital class ship big, or as suggested, installations, orbital facilities, labs, lairs, etc. IMTU these would be for large facilities only as capital class ships are background plot elements. But this could be invaluable for rapidly (or even randomly?...) creating such places when pressed for time or on the fly.

I think it may be too fiddly for your concept but it might be nice to provide just a series of standard ACS level ship fittings - a single stateroom, a block of four staterooms, a turret, a 6 meter corridor or section of cargo hold... to go along with the furnishings and details on the first page of the sample. Then a scrappy free trader/Firefly guy like me can easily build a ship from scratch. The large pre-built areas are great but it would be nice to be able create smaller ships and spaces on the fly.

Hope that helps and definitely looking forward to this!

Cheers

 

[Beerfume]

I think it may be too fiddly for your concept but it might be nice to provide just a series of standard ACS level ship fittings - a single stateroom, a block of four staterooms, a turret, a 6 meter corridor or section of cargo hold... to go along with the furnishings and details on the first page of the sample.

I'm considering something like this, but not as part of the geomorph book. It is getting a little unwieldy as it is and there are a LOT of symbols/drawing blocks I've created for the book. I've got something like 56 variations just of staterooms, and that doesn't even include steerage.

More likely I would create a PDF booklet of symbols, with an explanation of why I put what where, a kind of "how-to" for creating starship plans. This is why I included the question in the poll about using the book for inspiration. Creating this booklet would be easy enough, but I've got to do one thing at a time.

 

[Travellerspud]

this looks incredible! I can see using it to modify existing designs with cut-n-paste, or to print out (maybe glue to backing) and use on-the-fly when I don't have a deck plan but suddenly need a map (I tend to use Snapshot for combat, as my players expect more definition than LBB1 combat provides).

 

[rhialto]

Looking over the sample provided I'd use these to print out just the sections needed, with my just-in-time style of Ref'ing. Looking forward to this, and thanks very much!

 

[ranger2261]

awesome examples, i love your style of deckplans.
i like your blog, and illustrations, nice snapshot of starship life

 

[ffilz]

I like your page of cutters, so at least some bits will be immediately useful.

I don't do big ships, so these would not be too likely to be useful for ships (though to detail out a boarding action on a large ship might be ok), but they could easily be used for space stations.

Frank

 

[infojunky]

Heck I am using it already.... Well, this post inspired me to pull out my Asteroid base Hexagonal Geomorph tiles and start working on them again.

 

[Straybow]

Very nicely done. I wouldn't use standard Trav dimensional requirements, so I'd have no need for sets of this sort.

 

[kevsurp]

would love to use but cann't get to page to download
keeps getting time out and cann't connect to the web page

 

[JimMarn]

I'll use it to make starships, and likely work on my Starship Wanderer as well.

 

[Beerfume]

would love to use but cann't get to page to download
keeps getting time out and cann't connect to the web page

Try this:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sn8iYL0XpQfqGL-EWFFRvSQ2SvOEF1Fv

 

[kevsurp]

thanks that worked
my question says to print a 1"=20' but not sure how with adobe

 

[Beerfume]

thanks that worked
my question says to print a 1"=20' but not sure how with adobe

Just printing at the default 100% on 8.5x11 paper will produce the 1"=20'-0" scale (4 grid squares to an inch). If you want to get fancy and try printing for use with miniatures, there are directions on my blog.

 

[aramis]

I won't, because, generally, I don't use ships big enough for such to be of verisimilitudinous use...

but.... Nice Work!

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I didn't get to vote on this one. But going through the book reminded me of the drawings in the Star Fleet Technical Manual I have from the early '70s. I use that book for inspiration. I'll add yours to the list.

 

[coliver988]

I won't, because, generally, I don't use ships big enough for such to be of verisimilitudinous use...

but.... Nice Work!

Buildings and space stations come to mind as well. You could create the TAS Hotel with the elevator core at the end and multiple floors of various accommodation levels.


It's value really goes way beyond just space ships (mine too tend to be more adventure class, but never know when you have to infiltrate something somewhat larger...)

 

[aramis]

It's value really goes way beyond just space ships (mine too tend to be more adventure class, but never know when you have to infiltrate something somewhat larger...)

No, my non-otu universe has no ships over 10,000 tons. Not a one. I like a Small Ship universe.