Here's the basic pitch of my game:

QuoteThe PCs are part of an intergalactic survey Corp sent out by the Union of Scientific Planets to explore, report on and reestablish contact with "lost worlds".

The universe is reemerging from a dark age precipitated by the collapse of the last great human empire, headed by the most brilliant minds mankind has to offer.

From a group of developed worlds the scientists have managed to drag mankind from barbarism and into an enlightened technological existence.

Having solved the problems of these worlds the scientists wish to bring the light of scientific civilization to the cosmos.

The "Scientific exploration and investigation league" sends out "survey and contact" teams, equipped with old 500+ years old planetary charts and data, a ship and survival equipment for 5 year missions to:

1. Investigate formally contacted/inhabited planets.
2. Explore new space and planets.
3. Reestablish peaceful contact with lost humans and or alien species.
4. Eliminate or contain threats to the union.
5. Build a new galactic cyclopedia via regular reports.

Think the Foundation if "The Foundation" was "The Federation" and everyone was from the set of "The Forbidden Planet".

Clear?

Here's what I want:

Planets. Lots of the them. Each one basically only needs to be a sound-stage for an adventure before the PCs will move along. So high detail isn't required, just interesting situations and in the golden age mold.

There are two other major forces in the universe out reestablishing contact (both unknown to the PCs at the start of the game). The Orion Corp, which has awesome tech but only seeks to exploit other worlds and the Collective (Militaristic space Soviets).

Here's an example of what I'm looking for:

QuoteName: Autonovo.

Description: Autonovo is a populated earth like world.

Data File information: At last contact Autonovo was a very advanced world and a leader in automation technologies. Novo was known as a very pleasant place to be due to the very low need for human labor.

Current status: After the collapse the people of Autonovo slowly lost the ability to understand or even care for their machines. To make matters worse no one on Autonovo knew how to live without the machines! A quasi-civic religion now dominates the planet as "tech priests" perform various rituals to keep the machines running (some useful, some not). Tampering with the machines is considered blasphemy!

Important groups: The Machine Priests, The Government, The underground "Science league"

Situation: The main reactor is slowly breaking down and poisoning the people! The tech priests insist that it's because the people have displeased the machines. Meanwhile a small group of radicals suspects that the problem might be fixable. If the reactor isn't fixed soon everyone on Autonovo will die.


Important notes: The Orion Corp has also made contact with this planet and is offering some "priests" of their own to fix the problem (in exchange for future favors of course)


Basic Abstract Difficulty (BAD): +3

Anybody want to pitch an idea or two my way?

(I'm using GURPS but that's not terribly relevant right now)

Heaven & Earth is still a perfectly good application.  It can be set to produce worlds and systems under GURPS, Classic, Mega or New Era Traveller.  The interface is from a bit ago, but it still works. The maps are like those found in the editions of Traveller.  It produces whole sectors quickly, and one may modify any world by editing its entry.  Worlds may be created one at a time too.

Heaven & Earth

Quote from: Kuroth;546454Heaven & Earth is still a perfectly good application.  It can be set to produce worlds and systems under GURPS, Classic, Mega or New Era Traveller.  The interface is from a bit ago, but it still works. The maps are like those found in the editions of Traveller.  It produces whole sectors quickly, and one may modify any world by editing its entry.  Worlds may be created one at a time too.

Heaven & Earth

Sweet, thanks!

Avataris a jungle planet with barely breathable air by human standards, it has a unique element required for FTL travel. With an intelligent native species, very human in fact, if not physically.   Negotiate or war?

Quote from: Marleycat;546457Avataris a jungle planet with barely breathable air by human standards, it has a unique element required for FTL travel. With an intelligent native species, very human in fact, if not physically.   Negotiate or war?

Har

QuoteName: Avataris

Description: Avataris is a jungle world with an intelligent cat-like native species. Atmosphere not-breatable by humans, requires breath mask.

Data File information: Avataris was known to harbor an intelligent but hostile life form. There were rumors of valuable minerals but the planet was left on it's own after a series of embarrassing failures on the part of the people tasked to extract them.

Current Status: The native species is very hostile to outsiders and considers "trespassing" on "sacred ground" worthy of death.

Important Groups: Cat-people. Various deadly flora and fauna.

Situation: The planet shows signs of incredibly valuable mineral deposits. Once the PCs are on the planet they may find leaving to be difficult.

Important notes: the PCs can find signs of Orion Corp operatives on the planet (The Orion corp team was eradicated sorely after meeting the natives).

Basic Abstract Difficulty (BAD) +4

Here are some links to a world and a sector created by Heaven & Earth.  They give you an idea of the output.  They are pretty much just like old Traveller.  One can select GURPS creation under options rules.


World Detail

World Map

Sector and Subsector maps

There was a random planet generator in one of the d20 Stargate SG-1 rpg books.  (IIRC, the core book).

Pick up the original collection of Issac Asimov's robot stories - I, Robot. Most of them take place in how people used to view the planets of the solar system - Mercury was my favorite. Along the same lines are almost any of Robert A. Heinlein's juveniles, in particular Between Planets and Space Cadet. You can't get any more retro and the stories will be great for just plain old inspiration.

Quote from: jeff37923;546475Pick up the original collection of Issac Asimov's robot stories - I, Robot. Most of them take place in how people used to view the planets of the solar system - Mercury was my favorite. Along the same lines are almost any of Robert A. Heinlein's juveniles, in particular Between Planets and Space Cadet. You can't get any more retro and the stories will be great for just plain old inspiration.

Serious good advice. How about this? A moon the size of Europa breathable air humans settled it to full earthlike tech advanced say 200 years from now. Then Terra found a plant that cured all physical ailments and extended lifespan. Everything is cool except the automated robotic factory deep underground building military grade machines that may or may not have achieved AI. After the biological, chemical, nuclear war that gave them the idea to build self sustaining machines. The plant or more specifically it's seeds survive regardless of these "troublesome" circumstances.

Y'know, with the word retro included I now have to create some Barbarella-esque planet, complete with Great Tyrant, go go boots, Matmos, and Duran Duran, yes? It's all your fault, and you know it!


edit: Oh, what am I thinking. Just crib off of Barbarella and be done with it. Give an extra XP reward for whoever first guesses the source material. It'd be funny to see how much of your crew would rather spend their time in Sogo, the City of Night, doing naughty things such as smoking the essence of man, or torturing victims in the Excessive Machine...

"To the Greater Evil!"

Quote from: Opaopajr;546502Y'know, with the word retro included I now have to create some Barbarella-esque planet, complete with Great Tyrant, go go boots, Matmos, and Duran Duran, yes? It's all your fault, and you know it!


edit: Oh, what am I thinking. Just crib off of Barbarella and be done with it. Give an extra XP reward for whoever first guesses the source material. It'd be funny to see how much of your crew would rather spend their time in Sogo, the City of Night, doing naughty things such as smoking the essence of man, or torturing victims in the Excessive Machine...

"To the Greater Evil!"

"LOVE"  ha  Barbarella broke the poor Excessive Machine.  The girl has no shame.  

There are lot of less statistic focused ways to describe worlds, as some of these suggestions, which are also cool.  I'm not completely sure which direction I will go on the next one.

H Beam Piper's Uller Uprising started with a chapter long description of Nifflehiem (I think he named it...), which was a Florine Based Planet.  Rivers of Hydro-Flouric Acid and stuff.

Sounded really pretty, actually. Also ridiculously dangerous even for space men.  As in: The atmosphere eats space ships.

Now, just as in Piper's book, the reason it is interesting is that there are valuable minerals and shit to be gained (plutonium mining I think in Piper. For Traveller or most classic Sci-Fi settings, Ancient/Precursor Ruins (mostly intact) could be on the surface.), making it Too Important to be just passed up as another ridiculously dangerous barren rock.

You could even name it Niffleheim, for that classic feel.

A lost prison planet... with one inhabitant.

A friend of mine came up with this one, and I've always loved the potential.

Quote from: Insufficient Metal;546525A lost prison planet... with one inhabitant.

A friend of mine came up with this one, and I've always loved the potential.

That idea goes great with your avatar

I'll point to N. Harrison Ripp's beautifully convenient sector generator for Stars Without Number. Just click on the Worlds tab and you've got a list of setups. If you want more detail with the tags, you can just grab the free SWN rulebook; all the world generation is system-neutral.