In a few weeks, I'm going to be starting my player's campaign. I'm looking for some advice on spaceports/space stations. I'm going to be starting my players on Flammarion (Spinward Marches/District 268). Flammarion has a class A starport, a small navy base and a big scout way station. Now because it's a class A, the highport will be a nice big shiny space station. Would the navy base and scout way station be part of this facility or would it be reasonable to say that the two arms (navy and IISS) would share a separate station? I know they both would also have facilites on the ground, just not sure about up in orbit. And as Flammarion is on an X-boat route would it have a small station way out at the edge of the system or would it be a reasonable assumption that the scout way station would be used instead for any X-boat issues? Just trying to picture in my head what this all looks like.
Space Stations
- Thread starter Sigmar
- Start date
I’ve been assuming way stations are on the system fringe so that X-boat traffic doesn’t interfere with naval and commercial traffic - and vice versa.
Similarly I would expect most (but maybe not all) naval bases to be separate from the commercial stations. But I think there’s probably some level of naval and scout presence on the commercial station for things like crew and non-critical supplies and such. That presence might also cover recruiting, intelligence gathering, liaison with the local system government, etc.
Similarly I would expect most (but maybe not all) naval bases to be separate from the commercial stations. But I think there’s probably some level of naval and scout presence on the commercial station for things like crew and non-critical supplies and such. That presence might also cover recruiting, intelligence gathering, liaison with the local system government, etc.
Annatar Giftbringer
Emperor Mongoose
There's an example class A starport in JTAS vol.1, pages 122-128. It has both Scout and Navy bases, and is configured like this:
The Navy base is located within the highport, with its own separate dock and an external berthing area for larger ships.
The Scout base on the other hand is a series of buildings and landing pads in a corner of the downport.
Other systems might have separate stations for
Navy/scouts, or a single shared station for both along with a main station for civilian use.
The Navy base is located within the highport, with its own separate dock and an external berthing area for larger ships.
The Scout base on the other hand is a series of buildings and landing pads in a corner of the downport.
Other systems might have separate stations for
Navy/scouts, or a single shared station for both along with a main station for civilian use.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
I've always imagined your larger Highports are a system of orbital facilities in their own region around the main world. Smaller ports that are below the minimum of what is designated a starport (See Highguard pg. 62), Starports) could combine all elements into one complete base but greater ports would become a tangle, especially traffic wise. Naval assets would have their own yards for repairs and refitting freeing commercial shipyards for civilian construction and maintenance. Same for storage and depot duties but there would always be a section integral to the main station for defenses.
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
There are thousands of different worlds with potentially many space stations each: Why would everyone be the same?
Flammarion is low pop so mostly through traffic between the District and the Imperium, so perhaps a large high port and a small low port?
I would start with this as inspiration.
Say the small base attached to the high port and the way station as a separate station or even on a moon? (Why would the spit-and-polish Navy want to co-locate with the scruffy Scouts?)
Flammarion is low pop so mostly through traffic between the District and the Imperium, so perhaps a large high port and a small low port?
Sigmar said:
I would start with this as inspiration.
Say the small base attached to the high port and the way station as a separate station or even on a moon? (Why would the spit-and-polish Navy want to co-locate with the scruffy Scouts?)
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Depends on whether the Imperium Navy thinks it's a good idea to share facilities with the starport during peacetime.
Old School
Mongoose
paltrysum said:
I used the google sheets spreadsheet that bluekeirnan made several years ago. His last version was 1.9, I think. I’ve updated it to include some of the spacestation options and correct a few errors. Will try to find a way to share it.
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
My spreadsheet can handle space stations:
http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=930314#p930314
You can still use jump drives and all ship's systems, but e.g. M-drives, bridges, etc. are station specific.
Residential Zones can be found in accommodation options. Shipyards can be found as an option for Carried Craft.
http://forum.mongoosepublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=930314#p930314
You can still use jump drives and all ship's systems, but e.g. M-drives, bridges, etc. are station specific.
Residential Zones can be found in accommodation options. Shipyards can be found as an option for Carried Craft.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
"There are thousands of different worlds with potentially many space stations each: Why would everyone be the same?"
In the Imperium which build and controls the vast majority of starports, standardization is the key with variation due to local conditions.
Sky's (space?) the limit when locals build and control.
In the Imperium which build and controls the vast majority of starports, standardization is the key with variation due to local conditions.
Sky's (space?) the limit when locals build and control.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
"There are thousands of different worlds with potentially many space stations each: Why would everyone be the same?"
In the Imperium which build and controls the vast majority of starports, standardization is the key with variation due to local conditions.
Sky's (space?) the limit when locals build and control.
In the Imperium which build and controls the vast majority of starports, standardization is the key with variation due to local conditions.
Sky's (space?) the limit when locals build and control.
AnotherDilbert
Emperor Mongoose
Reynard said:
Starports and space stations might have been standardised 500 or 1000 years ago when they were built (even if I doubt it), but they will have grown apart since then.
Every system is unique, with unique needs and traditions. Building and maintaining standardised space stations to cover all different needs in all different systems would be a colossal waste of resources.
Condottiere
Emperor Mongoose
Standards, procedures and regulations would be the same, not starport architecture.
A spaceport could be far larger and have more traffic than the local Imperium certified starport, and since it's operated by the Imperium, it's not subject to the arbitrary whims of the local regime.
A spaceport could be far larger and have more traffic than the local Imperium certified starport, and since it's operated by the Imperium, it's not subject to the arbitrary whims of the local regime.
ShawnDriscoll
Cosmic Mongoose
Sigmar said:
Government, culture, population, law level, tech level, religion, the far future, all take part in how everything should look about a world.
Sigmar said:
Unless there is a reason to keep them physically separate (like it's a major nodal fleet organization) it's probably going to be part of the existing highport. Exceptions would be docking or repair slips needed for capital ships, major wepaons depots (no civilian base is going to be happy with nukes stored onboard, and no Navy is going to like it either), or other similar exceptions. You'd also want a security buffer (i.e. distance) around a military base if you can have it. And space, pardon the pun, is cheap. It's not a big deal at all to place the naval base a few million Km away from the planet for security purposes.
Scout bases are a little different, since the role of the scout service is different. There you may see them much closer, or with, civilian highports, or set off to the side of a civilian ground base.
As far as 'building' a space station I've only ever used the books as guidelines. I really don't care about the cost of a base because it's inconsequential to the plot lines, and no player pays for the building and upkeep of such a thing. My advice to you there is simply build your station to the size and equipment you feel would be best aligned with the plot and go forth and referee.
Ursus Maior
Banded Mongoose
There are also base construction rules in the Drinaxian Companion. Essentially these rules allow to build bases on planetoids that require landing on pads, but for the usual band of Travellers that's the same as your own space station, i. e. a place to store stuff, hide or establish trade for profit. The good thing about this rules is that the DC also comes with a rule set as to how much time things take to build personally. So, if you want to build from scratch and safe some money - bases are cheaper to build than stations, because they are build onto or into a planetoid - then this book is a big help.
Reynard
Emperor Mongoose
"Standards, procedures and regulations would be the same, not starport architecture."
Which I was hoping would be my point. The station would shape according to the system's and local region's needs thereafter growing and expanding as needed. The parts to construct an empire sponsored and maintained base will use standardized components and construction features that can be designed, manufactured and transported by any system with the means to a construction destination. We often see that many systems in OTUs have absolutely no ability to create star (or even space) ports. Pocket Empire gives great insight to this issue.
Which I was hoping would be my point. The station would shape according to the system's and local region's needs thereafter growing and expanding as needed. The parts to construct an empire sponsored and maintained base will use standardized components and construction features that can be designed, manufactured and transported by any system with the means to a construction destination. We often see that many systems in OTUs have absolutely no ability to create star (or even space) ports. Pocket Empire gives great insight to this issue.
The space industry is in a good position right now as every country makes their contribution to it. The UK space companies are producing satellites and launch vehicles and also orbital insertion vehicles to operate in space for placing payloads in LEO orbit from a wide range of altitude and orbit inclination.
