Universe Creation on the Fly

[Mithras]

I've been playing with Astrosynthesis 2.0 and going into Traveller setting creation from the 'top down' recently. This is all purely non-game related, its 'solo play' and includes world creation, faction creation, statting important NPCs, designing interstellar states with logos, flags, etc, building ships and designing armed forces etc. But I've just realised that I won't be satisfied until it is complete, but then the fun is ended.

So I'm rethinking this solo-play-universe-creation-thing, I thinking instead of starting afresh with a design-as-I-go-approach. I'm not sure howto proceed though.

I assume I'd start with a blank subsector map. I assume there would not be an overarching interstellar nation, but that worlds would be generally independant (so I don't spend the first month or so detailing the dominant 'Moladon Federation' or whatnot).

I would play the part of a trader or explorer moving from world to world,mapping for the first time. Perhaps picking up rumours which would be facts that would later be turned into hard world creation data.

I'd like to write a simple checklist of things to do, but as I said design-as-you-go is new to me.

Has anybody got any advice??
__________________

(BTW: I've posted this also to RPG.NET)

 

[rust]

I seem to remember that the Zhodani alien module for Classic Traveller,
now available as a cheap PDF, included an adventure about a Core Expe-
dition with a simple system to design a star chart "on the go", but I am
not entirely sure that I remember this right - I sold the module years ago.

 

[Mithras]

Thanks! I'll check the CD-ROM.

 

[AndrewW]

I seem to remember that the Zhodani alien module for Classic Traveller,
now available as a cheap PDF, included an adventure about a Core Expe-
dition with a simple system to design a star chart "on the go", but I am
not entirely sure that I remember this right - I sold the module years ago.

There's "Navigation in Unknown Space" in there starting on page 48.

 

[Mithras]

Ah it only relates to placing worlds, though. But it may have a use.

 

[BP]

...
I would play the part of a trader or explorer moving from world to world,mapping for the first time. Perhaps picking up rumours which would be facts that would later be turned into hard world creation data.
...

There are lots of ways to do this.

One simple approach -
1) start from a world
2) create a J-6 map of possible systems
- note: excepting exceptional circumstances, they should be visible
3) determine which systems are 'known' /on trade routes
4) use normal worldgen (or modify to suite setting/density of stats) for known
- or -
Use a rumor table to create 'rumor UWP' and other world details
then use die rolls to determine 'truth' when you get there...

Normal encounter/event tables should suffice for the rest.

 

[Grazelander]

I've been playing a very similar solo game for a couple of years now. I used a scout cruiser in the Gateway sector on a long range mission through non imperial space. The cruiser carries an extra type S that can be detached for side explorations. I then detail systems and worlds as I visit them purely for my own amusement.

I used heaven and earth software originally but now use Astosynthesis and Stargen software. I actually enjoy the mapping aspect best, drawing worlds and occasionally detailing regions on each world as the fancy takes me.

This has become a long project with a lot of satisfaction and gives me my Traveller fix in an otherwise gaming desert.

 

[smiths121]

Hi Mithras,

There is a nice article for solo play on freelance traveller in the "Doing it may way" section called "Travelling Alone". Seems to remember pretty flexible, but a bit too organised for me.

I am pretty sure solo player was covered in JTAS/Challenger as well, but cannot find the article.

 

[smiths121]

Found the solo article in JTAS -> Issue 13 called "Real Time Traveller", different to the article on Freelance - a little more few minutes a day.

Hi Mithras,

There is a nice article for solo play on freelance traveller in the "Doing it may way" section called "Travelling Alone". Seems to remember pretty flexible, but a bit too organised for me.

I am pretty sure solo player was covered in JTAS/Challenger as well, but cannot find the article.