I see that Tools for Frontier Living is now available for pre-order. 
This is hurting my wallet!
Chris D-W
This is hurting my wallet!
Chris D-W
2300AD Tools for Frontier Living
- Thread starter chrisdw
- Start date
IanBruntlett
Emperor Mongoose
chrisdw said:I see that Tools for Frontier Living is now available for pre-order.
This is hurting my wallet!
Chris D-W
Ditto!
A question for Those In the Know... will 2300AD rules & supplements be suitable for running a Red/Green/Blue Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson) style colonisation/terraforming game?
Colin
Mongoose
In the sense that the technology is similar, yes.
Tools for Frontier Living will include a colony design/game system to create custom colonies, complete with "improvements" like beanstalks and terraforming. The colony world's natural resource score, biodiversity score, and habitability score (yes, the system creates those as well) plays into the process as well. The system determines things like population every 10 years, balance of trade, agriculture, and industry. A good trade balance, habitability, mines, industry, and agriculture all make a colony more attractive to settlement. The more settlers, the more productive it is, and the more points it gets to buy improvements. The owning country and its Tier level also affects the resources available to the colony, including base migration levels.
Tools for Frontier Living will include a colony design/game system to create custom colonies, complete with "improvements" like beanstalks and terraforming. The colony world's natural resource score, biodiversity score, and habitability score (yes, the system creates those as well) plays into the process as well. The system determines things like population every 10 years, balance of trade, agriculture, and industry. A good trade balance, habitability, mines, industry, and agriculture all make a colony more attractive to settlement. The more settlers, the more productive it is, and the more points it gets to buy improvements. The owning country and its Tier level also affects the resources available to the colony, including base migration levels.
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
Sounds a lot like what was in the original 2300 GM's book. Hopefully updated and "Travellerized!"
Colin
Mongoose
Rikki Tikki Traveller said:
It builds on that system, to be sure. "Standing on the shoulders of giants..." and all that. Updated to take into account the relative attractiveness (habitability, natural resources) of the world, along with the nation doing the colonizing (Tier 1, Tier 2, etc). Colonies get points to start based on their home country as well, and then spend them to attract colonists, build improvements, that sort of thing.
Pentapod earplug
Mongoose
Rikki Tikki Traveller said:
Hope not. I am actually a bit curious as to what that would mean, come to think of it. (yes i understand the lineage etc, but 2300AD is not Traveller)
On a decidedly positive note, I find he cover art very much improved since the First version cover still visible as background on the webpage. This cover I like.
Colin
Mongoose
Eh, that was likely my fault. However, you would like to think someone would catch that.
On most things, my wife takes a read through what I write, and she finds the majority of my errors. She's picky, I mean observant, about that sort of thing. She didn't read the blurbs I provided to Mongoose, though.
On most things, my wife takes a read through what I write, and she finds the majority of my errors. She's picky, I mean observant, about that sort of thing. She didn't read the blurbs I provided to Mongoose, though.
ArchimedesTheDog
Mongoose
You could have totally passed that off as a pun.
Colin
Mongoose
I'm over 30,000 words in to what will likely be a 45,000-50,000 word book. New medical technology, walkers, vehicles, aircraft, spacecraft, a colony and outpost design system, essays on types of colonies and colonization, equipment, weapons, clothing, robots, domestic animals, computers and electronics, telescopes, "interviews" with a variety of colonists, and some other stuff.
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
Colin, PLEASE include a variety of examples of your colonies, using your rules. And not just variations on a theme.
What I have trouble with in these design systems is the WHY. WHY would a colony want to add a particular item; why not something else?
Using the Interface idea: WHY/WHEN would a colony logically upgrade from one system to another; what could make them decide to stay with what they had? What are the trigger points for some of the major upgrades?
WHEN would a colony invest in a maglev system to interconnect the major settlements. How Many settlements would be reasonable for a colony that had, say 100,000 people (Sure there are variations of this, but what is "normal" - even if normal is different for each of the major arms.
What I have trouble with in these design systems is the WHY. WHY would a colony want to add a particular item; why not something else?
Using the Interface idea: WHY/WHEN would a colony logically upgrade from one system to another; what could make them decide to stay with what they had? What are the trigger points for some of the major upgrades?
WHEN would a colony invest in a maglev system to interconnect the major settlements. How Many settlements would be reasonable for a colony that had, say 100,000 people (Sure there are variations of this, but what is "normal" - even if normal is different for each of the major arms.
ArchimedesTheDog
Mongoose
Are there going to be any sort of legal restrictions, difficulty of acquisition, etc. indicated? I try to keep "the good stuff" out of players hands as much as possible in 2300. Traveller is about having a ship and all that. In 2300 I made sure the players never felt rich. As GM I can tell them no, but it's nice to have that info.
Colin
Mongoose
Difficulty of acquisition is based on a combination of world tech level (which represents local manufacturing ability), which arm they are in, and the age of the colony. Weapons and armour acquisition is based on law level alone. Some items may list that they are less available than would otherwise be indicated by their tech level, like surveillance equipment.
Colony and outpost design proceeds along certain lines depending on modifications made to the colony. At the designer's discretion, there is also a random element to both the colony's development and facilities. As an example, France is creating an agricultural colony, and puts its development resources in that direction. However, a random event roll put a mine at the edge of the developed area, along with a road net from there to the spaceport. While these are effectively "free" to the colony, they will have an effect on future development. Or a random roll may indicate a crop failure, which will provide fewer development points. The Tier Level of the owning country also has an effect of development, so a colony developed by France and a colony developed by the Incan Republic will have very different characters.
Outpost design is somewhat simpler, with resources available to the outpost depending on its nature (foundation, corporate, or national) and its purpose (colony pathfinder, scientific, resource extraction, or way station).
Colony and outpost design proceeds along certain lines depending on modifications made to the colony. At the designer's discretion, there is also a random element to both the colony's development and facilities. As an example, France is creating an agricultural colony, and puts its development resources in that direction. However, a random event roll put a mine at the edge of the developed area, along with a road net from there to the spaceport. While these are effectively "free" to the colony, they will have an effect on future development. Or a random roll may indicate a crop failure, which will provide fewer development points. The Tier Level of the owning country also has an effect of development, so a colony developed by France and a colony developed by the Incan Republic will have very different characters.
Outpost design is somewhat simpler, with resources available to the outpost depending on its nature (foundation, corporate, or national) and its purpose (colony pathfinder, scientific, resource extraction, or way station).
Colin are you going to do a separate military sourcebook...perhaps with help from the guys over at Etranger?
Given how nice the core 2300AD book is I guess I'll break down and pre-order the other books. I was reluctant to do so initially given the QLI fiasco and having been burned by Cubicle-7 after making a pricey pre-order.
Benjamin
Given how nice the core 2300AD book is I guess I'll break down and pre-order the other books. I was reluctant to do so initially given the QLI fiasco and having been burned by Cubicle-7 after making a pricey pre-order.
Benjamin
Well, using the new version of 2300 AD I have now finished the basic
frame of a new outpost / colony setting on a desert world of the Chi-
nese Arm. Looking at my 19 pages of notes I wonder when Tools for
Frontier Living will become available and enable me to continue the
design of this setting ... :?
frame of a new outpost / colony setting on a desert world of the Chi-
nese Arm. Looking at my 19 pages of notes I wonder when Tools for
Frontier Living will become available and enable me to continue the
design of this setting ... :?
Mikko Leho
Mongoose
Hopefully this will have more extensive illustrations than the main book. The lack of pictures for guns was the biggest complaint when my players browsed through it.
