GURPS Space campaign setting

[combatmedic]

Here are the Bwaps:

Bawapakerwa-a-a-awapawab Homeworld Bureaux & Directorate of Colonial Affairs
Most non-Bwaps just call it the Newt Gov't, or the Directorate. Bwap gov't is bizarre by human standards: it's honest! That doesn't always equal efficiency or transparency, but corruption is negligible. The various agencies and departments of the vast bureaucracy all work diligently to keep things running, if not always smoothly. Bwap law derives from the millenia-old accretions of rulings handed down by the Lawgivers, a special caste that never leaves the Homeworld. These rulings are turned into policy and carried out by a complex web of agencies. Appointments to gov't office are by examination, not heredity or election.

The Bwaps have colonized the home system, and several nearby systems.

Bwap law enforcement was a minor branch of gov't in pre-contact times. The influx of lawless aliens has caused the Bwaps to create prisons, courts, police, etc. out of necessity. Bwap justice is arcane, impersonal, and not especially merciful. It is almost terrifying thorough.

Bwap technology: Bwaps are TL 10/Retrotech. They possess hyperdrives, starships, gravitics, etc but were still using punch card computers as recently as two generations ago. Paper remains one of the most popular methods of information storage [at the very least, a Bwap always likes to have a hardcopy].

[JAW]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

As I said earlier the Memer & Saret, and the Pachekki will be included. Of all the species from GURPS Aliens, I thought those two fit in the best. I rejected the ''rubber suits'', psionics, furries, and near-human types out of hand[ not that all the races weren't well done- some just don't feel right for this particular universe].

Good choice IMHO. If you want a human dominated galaxy it's logical choice to pick races that have adapted to different enviroments than humans - especially if dominant human cultures around are fairly aggressive.

[combatmedic]

Yes, exactly.


The Memer & Saret stick to space, or else go for airless moons and the like. This allows them room to expand without fiercely competing with other species for earthlike worlds.

[combatmedic]

Bwaps prefer low gravity, humid worlds with thicker than normal[ for low gravity] atmospheres. Such planets aren't terribly common.

Pachekki prefer similiar worlds, leading to possible conflicts between the two species.

[JAW]

Originally Posted by dropship-dvd

Dear Sir/Madam,
Do you need the dropship??
...

Dropship traders??? Umm why not - traders that own just "dropships" - non-ftl capable lander ships and rent "rides" from big FTL liners. A bit like battletechs dropships and jumpships.

Spam, spam lovely spam... (And reported as such.)

[combatmedic]

Holy Cow! Spam actually gave you a great idea! That kicks rump. I wanna use it.

[MrId]

Originally Posted by JAW

Dropship traders??? Umm why not - traders that own just "dropships" - non-ftl capable lander ships and rent "rides" from big FTL liners. A bit like battletechs dropships and jumpships.

Spam, spam lovely spam... (And reported as such.)

I prefer the other way around: Traders own FTL/Deep Space Craft and contract surface-to-orbit services from local pilots who have that kind of specialized equipment - rockets optimized for local conditions. This doesn't mean that trader PCs never set foot on a planet -- rather, they hitch a ride down to the surface and then rent a tilt-rotor/hovercraft/dog sled to finish the delivery.

[combatmedic]

No reason both solutions couldn't show up in the same setting[ along with more expensive transatmospheric FTL starships]. Economic, technical, and cultural factors could allow for more than one way of doing things. Perhaps different species prefer different approaches?

[JAW]

By all means.

Picture this:
A big FTL liner jumps to a system withouth FTL comms - the "ether" (whatever STL communications are available there) goes totally frantic as competing dropship operators start cutting deals with the various businesses and potential customers. The liner is in a hurry to leave to the next system so the dropships generally don't have time to leave the system with the same liner but those that decide to "drop" need to stay till the next liner comes.

Sometimes the dropship operators have to drop as they might not have payed for the next jump and there might be another dropship taking their place in the FTL liner hardpoint.
Great way to have the PCs stuck on a single system for a while...

[JAW]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

No reason both solutions couldn't show up in the same setting[ along with more expensive transatmospheric FTL starships]. Economic, technical, and cultural factors could allow for more than one way of doing things. Perhaps different species prefer different approaches?

Hmm - maybe memer&sarets operate the FTL liners.Where there is liners regularly going it would generally be unprofitable for other types of FTL commercial ships to go as as renting rides from the liners would usually be cheaper than operating ones own FTL drive - wich rises a question - is there anything limiting the use of FTL once one has a drive? Expensive exotic fuel, maybe... or maybe FTL astrogation is hard and somewhat hazardous and requires a skilled sentient pilot - but the memer/sarets have the knack for it so the liners almost never crash...