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SciFi: Space-Based Colonies

Started by BillDowns, April 15, 2015, 11:24:01 AM

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BillDowns

April 15, 2015, 11:24:01 AM
Just curious - how many space travel games actually use space-based locations?  Like a group of O'Neill colonies somewhere.

Or is everything always planet-based?

It always seems to me that Traveller games tend to have very little space-based colonies.
 

flyingmice

#1
April 15, 2015, 11:41:37 AM
Quote from: BillDowns;825963Just curious - how many space travel games actually use space-based locations?  Like a group of O'Neill colonies somewhere.

Or is everything always planet-based?

It always seems to me that Traveller games tend to have very little space-based colonies.

StarCluster has both. I'm currently working on a setting for it called Stationers and Merchanters that is inspired by on Cherryh's Alliance/Union series where the vast majority of colonies are actually space rather than planet based.
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

Bren

#2
April 15, 2015, 12:00:33 PM Last Edit: April 15, 2015, 12:02:38 PM by Bren
Classic Traveller. Zero-G and low-G is covered in the game rules.

WEG D6 Star Wars (and I'd guess all the other incarnations) has various asteroid bases and space stations. The artificial gravity available in Star Wars tends to minimize some of the differences between space based and ground based locations though.

Star Trek (any version) has various orbital bases, colony ships, space stations, hollow asteroids, etc. But like Star Wars the artificial gravity minimizes the differences between locations.
Currently running: Runequest in Glorantha + Call of Cthulhu   Currently playing: D&D 5E + RQ
My Blog: For Honor...and Intrigue
I have a gold medal from Ravenswing and Gronan owes me bee

Simlasa

#3
April 15, 2015, 12:17:39 PM
High Colonies was focused on the intrigues amongst the many space stations left in our system after some disaster leaves Earth uninhabitable... I don't recall if there was any facility for dirtside adventures at all.

trechriron

#4
April 15, 2015, 12:26:56 PM
Lot's of Eclipse Phase takes place in space stations, hollowed out asteroids and even a "scum barge" flotilla of older spaceships, habitats and other flotsam.

Of course Babylon 5 and Deep Space 9. :-)
Trentin C Bergeron (trechriron)
Bard, Creative & RPG Enthusiast
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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crkrueger

#5
April 15, 2015, 01:05:21 PM
Jovian Chronicles used O'Neil cylinders and asteroid bases, ships with gravity rings etc...
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BillDowns

#6
April 15, 2015, 01:09:54 PM
Quote from: Bren;825973Classic Traveller. Zero-G and low-G is covered in the game rules.
I know it's in the rules, but in the published adventures, only 2 or 3 out of 19 are based on a space station or colony, which is my point.  And over on CoTI, it's almost always planet-based adventures or ship-based adventures that are discussed.  Rarely is a space station or colony mentioned.
 

BillDowns

#7
April 15, 2015, 01:12:03 PM
Quote from: flyingmice;825969StarCluster has both. I'm currently working on a setting for it called Stationers and Merchanters that is inspired by on Cherryh's Alliance/Union series where the vast majority of colonies are actually space rather than planet based.
Good Luck on that.  Sounds interesting.

If you haven't already - and I bet you already have - Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy has some interesting ideas that can be mined.
 

Bren

#8
April 15, 2015, 01:18:02 PM
Quote from: BillDowns;825987I know it's in the rules, but in the published adventures, only 2 or 3 out of 19 are based on a space station or colony, which is my point.  And over on CoTI, it's almost always planet-based adventures or ship-based adventures that are discussed.  Rarely is a space station or colony mentioned.
I think there are a lot more than 19 published adventures for Traveller. I don't know the ratio, but having only 15% of the locations as space based wouldn't be too surprising.

You asked "how many space travel games actually use space-based locations"? If you are looking for space travel games that exclusively or predominantly use space based locations, then Babylon 5 is probably the closest one I'm aware of for a published RPG.
Currently running: Runequest in Glorantha + Call of Cthulhu   Currently playing: D&D 5E + RQ
My Blog: For Honor...and Intrigue
I have a gold medal from Ravenswing and Gronan owes me bee

flyingmice

#9
April 15, 2015, 01:48:50 PM
Quote from: BillDowns;825988Good Luck on that.  Sounds interesting.

If you haven't already - and I bet you already have - Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy has some interesting ideas that can be mined.

I agree! I have everything Heinlein ever wrote. :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

jeff37923

#10
April 15, 2015, 02:50:26 PM
Quote from: BillDowns;825987I know it's in the rules, but in the published adventures, only 2 or 3 out of 19 are based on a space station or colony, which is my point.  And over on CoTI, it's almost always planet-based adventures or ship-based adventures that are discussed.  Rarely is a space station or colony mentioned.

There are a Hell of a lot more than 19 published adventures out. If you just want to limit yourself to Classic Traveller, there are still all of the adventures in the Journal of the Traveller's Aid Society magazines. I know of several that take place on space stations or asteroid stations.

I think you are just not looking hard enough.

Other games with space colonies include 2300AD, Mekton II, Mekton Zeta, Jovian Chronicles, Cyberpunk 2013, Cyberpunk 2020, d6 Star Wars, and just about any other SFRPG with space travel in it.
"Meh."

jhkim

#11
April 15, 2015, 04:55:06 PM
Quote from: Bren;825990You asked "how many space travel games actually use space-based locations"? If you are looking for space travel games that exclusively or predominantly use space based locations, then Babylon 5 is probably the closest one I'm aware of for a published RPG.
I would agree. Traveller has a number of adventures that are partially or wholly set on ships, but there are very few space colonies in Traveller.

Besides the Babylon 5 RPG, two other options come to mind:

Freemarket is a transhumanist RPG set on Freemarket Station, a toroid space habitat near Saturn.

The Cyberpunk RPG had two supplements for space setting: Near Orbit and Deep Space.

Tetsubo

#12
April 15, 2015, 04:57:59 PM
No mention of the SS Warden from Metamorphosis Alpha?

Shawn Driscoll

#13
April 15, 2015, 05:28:00 PM Last Edit: April 15, 2015, 05:30:42 PM by Shawn Driscoll
Quote from: BillDowns;825963Just curious - how many space travel games actually use space-based locations?  Like a group of O'Neill colonies somewhere.

Or is everything always planet-based?

It always seems to me that Traveller games tend to have very little space-based colonies.
Traveller is not a space city universe as such. But there's no reason why space cities can't be adventured on anyway. Mongoose does have a yellow titled book for space stations. But they are the smaller variety.

Werekoala

#14
April 15, 2015, 06:31:50 PM
Aside from the occasional research station (and even many of those not orbital) and the High Ports, I don't really remember any other space stations/colonies in our games back in the day. We did have more than a few REALLY BIG STARSHIPS, however (many pre-Jump generational ships) so that's similar.

I think the thing about Traveller is that there were 10,000 worlds, so why bother with stations/colonies?
Lan Astaslem


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