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Old 02-23-2016, 09:29 PM   #47
Daigoro
 
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Default Re: [Game] Generate a Space Trader Setting

A comment on government types
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frost View Post
This varies between species and cultural groups. Amongst humans, democracy is the default form of government and few if any human colonies don't pay at least lip service to democratic principles.
This is true for governments participating in galactic society. But, just to point out as well, there are 100 billion stars in the galaxy, with just as many planets, probably with around 1 billion that are habitable with a modicum of technology. And all of these stars are relatively easily within reach of anyone with enough commitment and lack of mental stability to strike out into the great black yonder. Any star is probably within about 10-20 jumps of any other, if you know where you're going. For many explorers looking for a habitable planet, you need to check out up to 100 systems while keeping the jump tanks fuelled from gas giants. So in the course of history, there have been any number of groups of colonists led by demagogues, religious ideals, isolationist principles or commercial dreams who have set out and never been heard from again. For many of these, it's because they didn't survive the journey or initial difficulties of colonisation, but for just as many, they're quietly surviving or thriving out in a corner of the galaxy that no one else has stumbled upon since.

By definition then, the societies that are on the major trade routes and participating in galactic society are the ones whose government and cultural types are open-minded, democratic-leaning and somewhat capitalistic.
Quote:
a number of fringe forms (eg sortation)
Would that be sortition? I hadn't heard of either so I'm trying to look it up.

A note on jump effects
Quote:
Originally Posted by tbrock1031 View Post
Long jumps produce a greater physical strain on carbon-water-based bodies than shorter jumps. Side effects of longer jumps produce symptoms similar to asthma and post-crandial upper abdominal distentions ("cramps"). There have even cases where folks have died due to the strain, but those were generally the elderly and folks with pre-existing heart conditions.
Not to mention the aforementioned high G's and hours long bumpy ride causing bruises and motion sickness- so gel couches, sedation or immersive entertainment are the order of the day.

An idea for advanced jump drives
Quote:
Originally Posted by PTTG View Post
Single, massive "jump carriers" bring small fleets of support craft.
As another possible tech advance on the hyperplasma conduit idea, ships could fire synchronised plasma beams that propagate together through 7-space, meaning that ships could arrive with a tighter grouping. In setting though, this kind of tech is still very much on the drawing board or may show up as a McGuffin that rival groups want to steal or copy.
Quote:
Question: Is there magic, psionics, both, or neither in this setting?
Answer
Magic and Psi


Magic? There are charlatans who say they can stand on an asteroid and commune with the vacuum whales or who say they hear the many voices of god deep in 7-space, telling them how they can make money more easily, but this is a pretty straight up no-mana setting.

Psionics? Not per se, but some precursor artefacts are possibly either psionic or have a technological user-interface that is indistinguishable from psionics.

Question 32
What's the largest human trade, industrial and population centre? Or do different locations have these individual mantles?

Auxiliary Jump Drive Question
(Mainly to keep jump drive talk separate from setting building, but also because it's basically a multiple choice question.)
If gravity is a repulsive force in the 7-dimension spacetime manifold, what relation does ship size have to this?
a) Ship size is irrelevant to jump performance
b) Smaller ships, less affected by gravitational disturbance, have better jump performance
c) Larger ships, with more inertial resistance to disturbance, have better jump performance

Auxiliary Setting Question
What's a handy and catchy title for this campaign setting?
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Last edited by Daigoro; 02-23-2016 at 09:33 PM.
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