Good-for-RPG-Campaign Stellar Maps of our real galaxy/local space?

RPGPundit · January 20, 2010, 02:47:11 PM

Does anyone know of any? Where we might be able to find one, that would be useful for playing an RPG Sci-fi campaign, with the emphasis on usability for being able to determine things like location of different stars and estimating distances?

RPGPundit

jeff37923 · January 20, 2010, 02:53:17 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;356661Does anyone know of any? Where we might be able to find one, that would be useful for playing an RPG Sci-fi campaign, with the emphasis on usability for being able to determine things like location of different stars and estimating distances?

RPGPundit

Project Rho is your friend!

Of course, if you like Traveller, there is this site.

T. Foster · January 20, 2010, 03:00:24 PM

GDW's Traveller:2300 (aka 2300 AD) came with a poster-map showing all the stars within, IIRC, 50ly of Earth that was scientifically accurate at the time (though from what I understand it's since been rendered obsolete...).

jeff37923 · January 20, 2010, 03:18:07 PM

Quote from: T. Foster;356669GDW's Traveller:2300 (aka 2300 AD) came with a poster-map showing all the stars within, IIRC, 50ly of Earth that was scientifically accurate at the time (though from what I understand it's since been rendered obsolete...).

It has been rendered obsolete (it was based on data from 1969), however there is a new and more accurate data set if you want to do the work to create a new near star map. Just run a search for Hiapparcos Satellite Data and you can download the massive tables.

If you aren't looking for college academia level accuracy in data though, the 2300AD/Traveller: 2300 Near Star Map and Near Star List are one good way to go.

PaladinCA · January 20, 2010, 03:22:46 PM

I have a book at home that has real star charts of the Milky Way Galaxy in it.

I'll try to track it down. I don't recall the title at the moment.

flyingmice · January 20, 2010, 03:37:47 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;356661Does anyone know of any? Where we might be able to find one, that would be useful for playing an RPG Sci-fi campaign, with the emphasis on usability for being able to determine things like location of different stars and estimating distances?

RPGPundit

The data set files that came with the Cold Space and FTL Now pdfs is accurate as to 2006/2007 respectively. You can freely DL them from their respective pages, linked above. You'll need the NBOS Astrosynthesis Reader (free DL from NBOS) or the full Astrosynthesis to read them, though! Both show the Oikumene, a 20 LY radius around Sol. Commonwealth Space uses the same data set, so it didn't have a separate one.

-clash

RPGPundit · January 21, 2010, 08:24:53 AM

Quote from: jeff37923;356666Project Rho is your friend!

Of course, if you like Traveller, there is this site.

Wow, very good, thanks!

RPGPundit

It was all a mistake · January 21, 2010, 12:05:13 PM

Hi long time lurker. I thought I'd throw in my suggestions.

Project Rho is a great resource as per jeff37923 suggestion, its been an invaluable resource.

However for an overview map I often use the following artists impressions of the Milky Way from the Spitzer Space Telescope site. The great thing is these are free for you to use and are supplied in High Resolution so you can overlay your own detail over the top.

They can be found at the URL below (about eight or so images down the page) with a host of other images you might find useful as props.
http://gallery.spitzer.caltech.edu/Imagegallery/chron.php?cat=Artist_Conceptions

Hope thats useful.

jeff37923 · January 21, 2010, 01:42:37 PM

Quote from: It was all a mistake;356933They can be found at the URL below (about eight or so images down the page) with a host of other images you might find useful as props.
http://gallery.spitzer.caltech.edu/Imagegallery/chron.php?cat=Artist_Conceptions

Hope thats useful.

This link is going into my bookmarks.

Post more! You are contributing value to this site!

RPGPundit · January 21, 2010, 05:35:28 PM

Very useful! Welcome to theRPGsite!

RPGPundit

tellius · January 21, 2010, 08:19:04 PM

One of the broken links off Project Rho is to a starmap I use all the time.

I found it super useful for a 2-D representation of the local star system.

Nifty link off the source page is to a map with the places from Larry Niven's "Known Space" series, which I liked as well, since I really liked those books.

RPGPundit · January 22, 2010, 11:21:47 AM

That hex-starmap is really great, Tellius!

RPGPundit

PaladinCA · January 22, 2010, 12:57:48 PM

I looked for that book last night.

I can't find it.

To hell with it.

tellius · January 22, 2010, 04:40:17 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;357149That hex-starmap is really great, Tellius!

Another handy use is to map space lanes / wormhole lanes and see the tactical locations appear before your eyes. Throw in a couple space stations in the middle of nowhere and campaigns just jump out at you.

On wormholes, if you want to play anything in the Lois McMaster Bujold literary space (the wormhole nexus), it is also handy since most of the planets are implied to be in this area of space.

StormBringer · January 22, 2010, 06:14:45 PM

Quote from: jeff37923;356666 Of course, if you like Traveller, there is this site.

Your sentence reads as though there is more than one correct answer.