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jtanzer
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Joined: 01 Mar 2023
Posts: 97
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 Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2023 8:51 am Post subject: Star System Generation |
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I'm curious if anyone has a method for creating star systems. I'm at something of a loss as to where to start mechanics-wise, and since I've gone back to college, time is not something I have in abundance.
Ideally, the star systems created would
1. be believable without stretching requiring the suspension of disbelief
2. have sufficient detail to enable sandbox play
3. be able to be placed anywhere in the setting without major disruption
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Mamatried
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Joined: 16 Dec 2017
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Location: Norway
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jtanzer
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| Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2023 5:28 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks. I'd seen it before, but donjon can be difficult to navigate at times so I'd forgotten about it.
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Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 10402
Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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| Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:25 am Post subject: Re: Star System Generation |
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| jtanzer wrote: | I'm curious if anyone has a method for creating star systems. I'm at something of a loss as to where to start mechanics-wise, and since I've gone back to college, time is not something I have in abundance.
Ideally, the star systems created would
1. be believable without stretching requiring the suspension of disbelief
2. have sufficient detail to enable sandbox play
3. be able to be placed anywhere in the setting without major disruption |
| jtanzer wrote: | | I'd seen it before, but donjon can be difficult to navigate at times so I'd forgotten about it. |
I use the planet and system generation systems in GURPS Space, 4th edition (2006). It meets the criteria of the OP, but it is much more complex than the donjon system generator. GURPS uses then-current real world cosmology in the system, and there is some math involved in the process. This is not a quick system.
It yields plausible planets in plausible star systems. Star Wars requires such a high degree of disbelief suspension as it is, so I find it relieving to at least have realistic planets and systems with all the other fantastic stuff. But I'm a math-science nerd so I actually enjoy the process of creating planets and systems (but not enough to just start doing it for other people, sorry). I'm also fascinated with evolution so also get into trying to make planets have a plausible as possible environment (accounting for the planet's developmental history) for indigenous species to evolve the way they did there.
If I had to give just one easy guideline, it would be that it is extremely unlikely for terrestrial planets to be inhabitable for Earthlike life without being at least 50% covered by oceans. They would not likely have developed an oxygen atmosphere without oceans, and oceans would not likely have become permanent without them covering at least half the planet's surface. Star Wars (and other franchises) commonly violates this. In my SWU, for a lot of canon inhabitable terrestrial planets which show us one side in a film or artwork but no apparent oceans, I imagine them to have a big Pangaea-like continent and a big ocean on the other side of the planet out of view.
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jtanzer
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| Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2023 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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That makes alot of sense. I think the Planet creation system in GG8 and the Planets collection even touches on this.
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Whill
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Joined: 14 Apr 2008
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Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2023 2:05 am Post subject: |
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| jtanzer wrote: | | That makes alot of sense. I think the Planet creation system in GG8 and the Planets collection even touches on this. |
I just looked through the Planets Collection planet generation system and I could find no such touches on this. The system allows for a planet of multiple primary terrain types having hydrospheres of less than 50% but still no restrictions on its atmosphere, so they could have atmospheres breathable by Earthlike life in this system.
The system is generally workable to the level of detail that most games go into. If a GM wants to have a little more realism, then for any planets that must be capable of supporting life, just handwave away any results that have more than 50% land.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16281
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2023 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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If you can find a copy of Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook, it has a Star System Generation that would work with D6 with little modification (it even uses D6 for the generation mechanic). You’d just need to change out some of the feature names, like “Warp Rift”.
Also, it wouldn’t be too difficult to generate a system map using a D6 and a hex map. Designate one hex as the location of the system’s star, then use a D6 to generate direction from the star (beginning with 1 of the 6 surrounding Hexes), then roll a D2 (a D6 rolled for either odd or even) to select from the next two adjoining hexes on the next ring out from the star hex.
Also, it’s my understanding that, while Battlefleet Gothic is copyrighted, Games Workshop allows for free downloads of their outdated rulebooks, as they make the vast majority of their profits selling miniatures.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
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Whill
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Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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| Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2023 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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| CRMcNeill wrote: | If you can find a copy of Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook, it has a Star System Generation that would work with D6 with little modification (it even uses D6 for the generation mechanic). You’d just need to change out some of the feature names, like “Warp Rift”.
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Also, it’s my understanding that, while Battlefleet Gothic is copyrighted, Games Workshop allows for free downloads of their outdated rulebooks, as they make the vast majority of their profits selling miniatures. |
I could not confirm that Games Workshop allows for free downloads of their outdated tt game rulebooks. When I try to search at official websites, I can't find this. When I do general google searches, I keep getting computer game downloads and unofficial downloads, one of which said, 'I hope it is ok to share this since it is no longer being supported anymore.' This is far from allowance.
From what I've been able to read about it, there is a Battlefleet Gothic rulebook nicknamed the 'Big Blue Book' that as a basic system that breaks up a star system into six static "battlezones" (Flare Region, Mercurial Zone, Inner Biosphere, Primary Biosphere, Outer Reaches, Deep Space) that seem based on our solar system, and you role a 1d6 and consult a chart to determine what celestial phenomena are present in each zone. I suppose a Star Wars GM could use this as a very quick and dirty method of generating star system astronomical details for Earthlike planets placed in the Primary Biosphere since the WEG SW system we have focuses on the main planet of interest in the system and not the entire star system (because usually only one planet in a star system is of any interest). But the Battlefleet Gothic basic star system generation system overall seems of limited utility to Star Wars, mainly providing space battle setting info for that game.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16281
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2023 12:51 am Post subject: |
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Per the WH40K Lexicanum, the majority of the original Rulebook was made available for download from Games Workshop’s official site (link shown on Lexicanum article), but it has since been removed. The question then becomes whether the fact that it was made available as a free download makes it available in perpetuity.
If nothing else, I’ll have some free time this week where I can just bang out an IP-neutral copy of the system generation rules and post them here.
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.
The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index
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