Vote up a Space Opera

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Habitable World Density:


this will be expressed as average distance between habitable worlds:

10 ly (this is quite riduculous) 2.5 Billion worlds in galaxy, 200 years to cross galaxy on 1 week average
30 ly, 92 million worlds in galaxy, 64 years to cross galaxy on 1 week average
100 ly, 2.5 million worlds in galaxy, 19 years to cross galaxy on 1 week average
300 ly 92 thousand worlds in galaxy, 6 1/2 years, to cross galaxy on 1 week average
1000 ly 2,500 worlds in galaxy, renders galaxy flat, 1.9 years to cross galaxy on 1 week
3000 ly average 277 worlds in galaxy, flat galaxy, cross galaxy in 8 months, to new galaxy in 17 years
10,000 ly average 25 worlds in galaxy, flat glaxy, cross galaxy in 2 months, to new galaxy in 2 years
sparser than that!

.

I would not have automatically assumed that the _entire_ galaxy had to be the range for the setting. It's quite rare in fiction.

At any rate you appear to be setting drive speed to match habitable density. I would have done it the other way around.

100 LY is the number I got from Gurps Space 1e and I regard anything smaller as improbably optimistic. Lesser density is certainly possible.

As a note settign the inhabited world density extremely low means that each world has a vast number of uninhabited systems in its' "sphere of influence" and nobody would ever fight over mundane resources.

Also, at 3000LY or farther the "galaxy" beoems functionally quite small. A tourist could very well decide to visti every world in the galaxy where he could breathe unaided.

At 25 worlds to the galaxy there are fewer worlds than there are US states and memorizing the names and capitols of all of them becomes a literally child-like task. This has implications for Skills. Look at Area Knowledge Skill in Basic. The lowest densities shrink Area Knowledge(Galaxy) down to AK(Interplametary State).

I vote 300 LY. I don't want the Galaxy to be too small.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

Other questions (obvious and otherwise) to be posed down the track:


- tech level

TL9^ is classic. Precussor artifacts are 12^^^!

- scope- how many settled star systems?

By humanity, a couple of hundred. By others, millions.

- one government, a few, or many many many?

There should be a UN-like agency to be in charge of a starfleet. But otherwise, decentralised.

- cybernetics?

Some, as background "Chrome" for sinister areas and seedy hangout.

- computers, AI and robotics?

BIG YES! And let them have a tendency to develope personalities.

- force swords or other melee weapons?

To cool to leave out.

- psionics? pseudo-scientific, cybernetic, mystical?

Psi is availible and common-ish. The public sees it as mystical, science is confounded, but has some good data.

- aliens- mainly rubber forehead anthropomorphs?

A mix would be best. True strangeness is needed as are Spacebabes for Kirk wannabees (and Spacedudes for the ladies).

- and... an economic model for starship ownership

Starship ownership should be modeled by an advantage. And GMs who are quick to wreck spaceships should be just as quick to allow the PCs to regain a spaceship free and clear. (Unless the first ship wasn't free and clear, if so, equal strings and burdens.)

- and and... preferred armour paradigm- none (ST)/light body armour (SW)/mecha?

The millitary has expensive and useful armor. Some few areas settled by the Japanese have Mecha. These have their own problems and are as much a matter of fashion as anything else.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Habitable World Density:


30 ly, 92 million worlds in galaxy, 64 years to cross galaxy on 1 week average

This is my choice. But make the distribution high irregular. Some areas should be crowded others empty.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by samd6

Thinking about layers for hyperspace, we would want enough layers to do neat things, but not so many that they become uninteresting. I have a proposal for a six layer hyperspace. You can't shift from one layer to another without passing though sidereal space.

Hyperspace -1/ subspace. Can't travel fast, but can enter and exit really fast. Used mainly for cloaking and hiding.

Hyperspace 0 / sidereal space. The normal universe

Hyperspace +1 / Standard hyperspace
Hyperspace +2 / Slipspace. The currents and turbulence are much more numerous, stronger, and more mobile. Navigation is at a penalty, but effects of success and failure are tripled.
Hyperspace +3 / Deepest black. Travel is really fast, but sensors don't work, so you have no idea where you'll end up. (Navigation at -8 or worse, nothing can give bonuses). Space is big, so you'll probably not wind up in a star or planet. Certain beacons can be seen, but you have no idea where they lead. May not actually be part of the universe
Hyperspace +4 / ? Really odd stuff happens here. People try and avoid it.

This has charm. I like the idea of bigger risks for bigger rewards. I'll try to come up with my own formula.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Results for Time to Next Habitable World (round 2)

The votes for Time seem to be slowing down: our grand answer is the logarithmic average of {1.5 6 14 5 40 2 40} = 8 days. If you don't understand the math, just believe when I say I had a method for coming up with the number, and each vote above had a say. It was hard getting those answers though.

Inconclusive Results on Dominance of Humanity!

the votes are:
Junior:
ericthered, samd6, Centisteed
Equal:
Diomedes,Dammann,dcarson

we are tied! and people have stopped voting on the issue! If you do not see your name listed, please vote on this issue! Man must rise or be squashed! will you side with those who's user names start with D and support a universe where men are created equal? or will you champion a race of underdogs rising about the odds!

one vote for either humanity is a minor power or equal with the rest of galactic society, both great traditions in Sci-fi and space opera.

I vote for equal, with maybe a side of recent and still proving ourselves.

current voting topics:

space between worlds,

I voted.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

I would not have automatically assumed that the _entire_ galaxy had to be the range for the setting. It's quite rare in fiction.

I'm not assuming that, I'm just trying to give a feel for how dense the habitable worlds are. The play area will be determined else where. In fact, If we go to the 25 worlds per galaxy level, travel between galaxies will be common (it takes 2 months)

I suppose I could express things as Systems per inhabited system, but lots of those systems would be red dwarfs, and we don't have good numbers on those. Even at 10 LY, normal raw materials are fairly common and not limited to habitable planets.

At any rate you appear to be setting drive speed to match habitable density. I would have done it the other way around.

eh, for me its the same number expressed different ways. I suppose density is more precise as it is either cubic or square compared to speed, depending on the total size.

[dcarson]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Habitable World Density:

how close are the various habitable worlds to each other. Having them closer will mean that new habitable worlds are less valuable, but also that new ones are harder to find when within civilization, while having the worlds farther from each other makes new ones more valuable, but easier to find in existing space, but will press civilization into space habitats.

this will be expressed as average distance between habitable worlds:

10 ly (this is quite riduculous) 2.5 Billion worlds in galaxy, 200 years to cross galaxy on 1 week average
30 ly, 92 million worlds in galaxy, 64 years to cross galaxy on 1 week average
100 ly, 2.5 million worlds in galaxy, 19 years to cross galaxy on 1 week average

30 ly, 92 million worlds in galaxy, 64 years to cross galaxy on 1 week average ++

[Faolyn]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

I don't really care about the rest of it but I want to use my Big No against this. Sticking Lovecraft into everything is not "cool!". It's a -15pt OPH.

But...but... Tentacles!

Oh, all right. <snif>

But you have to admit: if something (if, I know) were to live in hyperspace, it would probably be weird.

Unless its populated by normal people who live (comparatively) fast lives.

[ericthered]

Results for Dominance of Man

OK, people just don't seem to be that interested or opinionated about humanity's status among the powers. I'm going to take Vicky's suggestion: we aren't minor, but we're not leading the pack either.

How do nations, cultures and species relate?

one vote

People who talk with Aliens are traitors or nutballs
Your Species is Your nation and culture, whether you live there or not.
Cultures and Nations are formed by species, but others join them on occasion.
Some Nations and Cultures have multiple species, but the number blended is low or based on one species assimilating the others.
Nations have one or more species that form their core, but no one is really out of place.
Species only matters when you need to reproduce.

note: It should not be construed that statements like "you species is your nation" means that humanity is necessarily united. It means you can't be a citizen of a non-human nation

How Many Kinds of Aliens?

There are three questions: how many dominant aliens, how many total species, and how many "starfish" aliens. please place one vote in each.

2
3-4,
4-8,
8-16,
lots

This is not in the universe, but in the effective setting. We'll get to refine this more later on.

I vote that your species is your nation.

dominant(3-4)
starfish(4-8)
total (lots)

[Faolyn]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Results for Dominance of Man

OK, people just don't seem to be that interested or opinionated about humanity's status among the powers. I'm going to take Vicky's suggestion: we aren't minor, but we're not leading the pack either.

Hmm. Have we established how long humanity has been in space?

one vote

People who talk with Aliens are traitors or nutballs
Your Species is Your nation and culture, whether you live there or not.
Cultures and Nations are formed by species, but others join them on occasion.
Some Nations and Cultures have multiple species, but the number blended is low or based on one species assimilating the others.
Nations have one or more species that form their core, but no one is really out of place.
Species only matters when you need to reproduce.

I'm going to vote for Cultures and Nations are formed by species, but others join them on occasion. It makes alien citizens uncommon but not too rare.

There are three questions: how many dominant aliens, how many total species, and how many "starfish" aliens. please place one vote in each.

This is not in the universe, but in the effective setting. We'll get to refine this more later on.

How many dominate aliens: 3-4
How many starfish aliens: 2
Total: not a huge number more (4-8) , at least not among the starfaring races. There's plenty of room for lots of lower-tech peoples who have never gotten off the ground. They'll only be seen as captives of war, if the heroes crashland somewhere, etc.