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StarCluster 3E

Started by flyingmice, April 16, 2010, 09:43:58 AM

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flyingmice

Here's an outline of SC 3E as currently anticipated:

---------------------------------

Introduction
Character Generation
- Attributes
- Backgrounds
- Education
- Professions
Character Options
- Humanoids
- Aliens
- Uplifts and Bioroids
- Robots
Guide to Skills, PSI Skills, Edges, and Traits
Playing StarCluster 3E
 - StarNova - d6 roll and add dicepool
 - StarKarma - diceless
 - StarRisk - risk failure to gain successes, or get mild success without risk
Equipment & Weapons
- Equipment
- Vac Suits and Armor
- Weapons
Star Travel and Ship Combat
Commercial StarShip Operation
Commercial StarShip Construction
Private Vehicles
- Example Vehicles
The Diaspora
Cluster Religions
Making the Cluster
Overview of the Diasporan Community and SaVaHuTa
Appendix A: GM Advice
Appendix B: Adventure Generator
Appendix C: Optional Rules

---------------------------------

Is there anything not there that should be there?
Is there anything there that should not be there?
Any questions?

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

So, my outline is perfect in every way? How unlike me!

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

Silverlion

Anything on sliding the technological scale? In the game?
What about different "genre" approaches in play: Space Opera, Harder SF, Mystery SF?
Any general overview of the setting, or you leaving that to the Cluster maker?
High Valor REVISED: A fantasy Dark Age RPG. Available NOW!
Hearts & Souls 2E Coming in 2019

flyingmice

Quote from: Silverlion;374145Anything on sliding the technological scale? In the game?

I'm not sure what you mean here, Tim. I can say that there are two levels of Tech that are higher than what is commonly available, which GMs can optionally use though I'm not detailing it in the game - the alien civilization which crashed when the shock front from earth arrived 1000 years ago or so, and the even higher tech of the Seeders, who brought Earth life to the Cluster a million years ago before disappearing.

QuoteWhat about different "genre" approaches in play: Space Opera, Harder SF, Mystery SF?

Interesting - You can't get much harder tech-wise without tossing FTL, but the others are a matter of emphasis. It's a lot easier to make a firm SF game softer than it is to make it harder. I may be able to do something about those in the GM advice section. Good idea!

QuoteAny general overview of the setting, or you leaving that to the Cluster maker?

No -the setting will be entirely generated with the Cluster Maker, unless they want to DL SC 2E and use that setting. that will remain available for free. I may also leave it available in print as well. The games will be different enough that some folks may prefer the old version.
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

Tommy Brownell

Quote from: flyingmice;374093So, my outline is perfect in every way? How unlike me!

-clash

I dare not question genius.

Actually, I'm just fairly useless in the area of game design...=)
The Most Unread Blog on the Internet.  Ever. - My RPG, Comic and Video Game reviews and articles.

flyingmice

Quote from: Tommy Brownell;374180I dare not question genius.

Actually, I'm just fairly useless in the area of game design...=)

Hi Tommy!

I'm a fair dab at it, so let me do that. What would you like to see there as a player/GM? :D
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

Silverlion

Well you talk about Cluster generation--I was thinking of making Tech more or less powerful/advanced in the setting/cluster. On making it more or less common, and in generally fine tuning where the technology fell in the game.

Nothing big mind you like negating space travel, or such--just where it fell within say 50 years of advancements.
High Valor REVISED: A fantasy Dark Age RPG. Available NOW!
Hearts & Souls 2E Coming in 2019

flyingmice

Quote from: Silverlion;374306Well you talk about Cluster generation--I was thinking of making Tech more or less powerful/advanced in the setting/cluster. On making it more or less common, and in generally fine tuning where the technology fell in the game.

Nothing big mind you like negating space travel, or such--just where it fell within say 50 years of advancements.

Hmmm - what I'm doing is making an alternate result for the Tech Level on the random generation table, which is more focused on the moderate tech levels. That would make high tech more rare.

How's that?

Otherwise, you could always cap Tech. Thing is, FTL travel is only available at TL 10, the highest result.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

Bump, 'cause this is important to me to get right!

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

pspahn

so who is the big bad of the setting? I always like to see a whole section on them whether they be the Borg,the Alliance, the Kzin, Gnomes, etc.

Pete
Small Niche Games
Also check the WWII: Operation WhiteBox Community on Google+

flyingmice

Quote from: pspahn;374685so who is the big bad of the setting? I always like to see a whole section on them whether they be the Borg,the Alliance, the Kzin, Gnomes, etc.

Pete

Good question! The Big Bad is whoever the group decides is the Big Bad, Pete. The setting is entirely generated on the group/GM level. There are two givens, rival humanocentric alliances, but aliens and other political organizations are up to the GM/Group. I'm intending to supply optional setting material on a sector level for time-pressed/lazy GMs, but it won't be in the main game. You should be able to add the material to any generated game without breaking the stuff you generated, or you could start with the optional setting and expand on your own, or link up different optional sectors.

You can also use the old StarCluster 2E setting if you prefer. That's available for free DL. In that setting, the Big Bads were probably either the Etvar, an alien species who had once controlled much of the Cluster, but whose civilization crashed with the wavefront from the destruction of the Solar system, and who blame humanity for their losses; or the Tumuran - AKA Slug Roaches - aliens who seem to be telepathically connected, but who are so different from humanity that they find it almost impossible to communicate. They understand the concept of trade to the extent that they leave something behind when they take something from you, but what that thing actually is would be a total crapshoot. The rival alliances were mutually competitive, too, and wouldn't stop short of a few dirty tricks.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

pspahn

that sounds pretty cool. I guess then what i think would be helpful would be some guidelines for sample human and alien governments (coalition/alliance, theocracy, totalitarian, militaristic, hives, etc.) and different ways they might affect the clusters through expansion, conquest, etc.  Basically how the government in question could be good or bad, depending on the needs of the GM. Does that make sense?

Pete
Small Niche Games
Also check the WWII: Operation WhiteBox Community on Google+

flyingmice

Quote from: pspahn;374717that sounds pretty cool. I guess then what i think would be helpful would be some guidelines for sample human and alien governments (coalition/alliance, theocracy, totalitarian, militaristic, hives, etc.) and different ways they might affect the clusters through expansion, conquest, etc.  Basically how the government in question could be good or bad, depending on the needs of the GM. Does that make sense?

Pete

Makes a lot of sense! I like it! Anything I can do to help out the GM is a priority. :D

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

Just a placement question, Pete - Do you think this should be in the GM Advice section, or inline in the Cluster Generation section? I could see putting it either place.

-clash
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

pspahn

I would put it in the cluster generation section personally since I'd want it for inspiration as I was designing one. hey and just to be clear I was talking about sample government archetypes, not fleshed out samples.  Basically any type of sci fi or real world government tropes.

Pete
Small Niche Games
Also check the WWII: Operation WhiteBox Community on Google+