Any tips on how to memorise what the UWP stands for?

[RevReese]

Hi all!,
Just a quick question:

I am having some trouble remembering exactly what each number of the UWP stands for, has anyone got any tips or is it just one of those things that you eventually pick up through repeated use?.

I am (hopefully) going to be rolling up a subsector later today and am hoping that by the time I have generated a few systems I will be more comfortable with it (I intend to generate UWP's for each world in system not just the main world).

I am having some difficulties at the moment with system generation (as mentioned here:http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?f=89&t=103961)

But I am confident now I have had some help from this great community that I can finally get started on our first adventure (as soon as I have finished prepping anyway! :lol: ).

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

I just have a chart ready so I don't have to memorize.

 

[simonh]

I find this helps:

The Starport is the first thing you care about if you're visiting the system.
The planet's size determines...
How much atmosphere it retains...
Which determines if it retains surface water...
Which supports a population...
Which establishes a government...
Which sets law levels...
And develops technology.

It sort of makes sense, except for starport and tech level which book-end the other attributes.

Simon Hibbs

 

[CosmicGamer]

I tend to use a cheat sheet. Even if I know the third position is atmo and the 6th is gov, I still have no clue what a 3 or 9 in those positions mean without looking it up.

 

[Reynard]

Simple memorization is the key as with nearly everything in life. Creating star systems helps familiarize with the codes and concept while referring back to the book when using the code is not a sign of weakness. Most people did this in school all their lives and followed suit in the real world.

It will come to you as time goes on. It's a game not a standardized testing process.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

After Decades of using it, it just is... Kind of like the UPP for characters. It comes with use.

 

[GypsyComet]

The one page summary that came in the old Spinward Marches Campaign helped me relearn it after some years dormant, but what has really made it all stick is rolling up a subsector with dice. The thirty-odd mainworlds were enough to fix the UWP positions in my head for good, and trying to then describe those worlds in more detail helped fix the meanings of the values.

 

[RevReese]

Wow, thank you all for the replies!

I think I will simply start rolling and hope that by the time I am done with my subsector, it will have stuck!

I find this helps:

The Starport is the first thing you care about if you're visiting the system.
The planet's size determines...
How much atmosphere it retains...
Which determines if it retains surface water...
Which supports a population...
Which establishes a government...
Which sets law levels...
And develops technology.

It sort of makes sense, except for starport and tech level which book-end the other attributes.

Simon Hibbs

I really like this and will use this at least to start with until they become "stuck" in my mind!.

Also, I will keep a chart handy for those times I get stuck!

Thanks again to you all for the help!