I’ve been toying with the way planets will be presented in Carta Galaxia. I’m hoping to make them deep enough without being intimidating/borning blocks of text. Here’s what I have so far, I was hoping I could get feedback about A) the general layout B) the amount of info given and C) the type of info given.
I’d also like to apologize for how slow I’ve been with Carta in general. Work has ramped up massively this past month (Damn you E3!) and I simply haven’t had the braincells/motivation to write after a long day at the office (what little energy I have when I come home is devoted to my son before we put him to bed, natch).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/za3u0y6cjedqehv/CartaGalaxia%20Preview%20-%20Planets.pdf?dl=0
NIce! I like the planetary views and the bullet point structure with the icons.
I feel like it’d be cool to see like little inset “zoom” pictures of each POI
I absolutely love this format.
I’m a huge dork fan of standardized icons and I love these.
Yeah, the office burns me out so much I can’t shift gears at all to gaming or creating stories. All it takes is talent, imagination and skill…that’s all! So why are not things like in my younger days! It’s easier to vedge out with some endless Facebook or Netflix or a computer game. “Not better…quicker…more seductive!”
I’m probably missing some steps in the development here. Nothing about physical stats, like the Size, Atmosphere, Hydrographics, Population, Government, Law numbers in Traveller? Is it assumed gravity is an easy, adjustable thing in buildings? What about trade, numbers for scarcity and abundance used to get some trading runs going?
Pierre Savoie The only time I’ll mention atmosphere, gravity, circadian cycles, etc is when it deviates noticeably from an expected norm. Trade opportunities will also be on a case-by-case basis.
If a particular aspect is important, interesting or strange enough to warrant a paragraph, then it’ll get its own heading. Otherwise, we can assume that the aspect is average or unremarkable.
Also, I’m making the conscious decision to avoid fixed numbers, opting instead for vague but evocative descriptions (Population 670,000 vs “thousands of small tribal groups”)
I try real hard to avoid specific numbers in the game I run. “The cavern is large enough to contain some villages you’ve been through in the past week” etc
Screw specific numbers so much. The closest I want to survey numbers and that kind of ultra specific info is a small line that says “Market: Major (Ship parts, medical supplies)” and similar so I’ve got something to reference when the party goes shopping.
In the two examples I posted, I actually spent a lot of time thinking of “what are the import exports” (’cause I also come from a Traveller background) but I realized I was forcing myself to invent goods for the sake of goods, rather than writing about things that worked within the theme of the planet.
100% legit. I don’t need market lists — I can invent that at the table, and ask the players. 🙂
I like the format hitting the highlights. Works for me!
Yeah, this works. Enough data to hang a Jump Point or two around without getting bogged down in the false precision of specifics.
Are you planning on having tables to allow for GM’s to mix-and-match planetary components like tech level, atmosphere, etc?
I really can’t imagine getting much use out of random mix and match tables. With all due respect to Sean Gomes, that particular well has been well and brilliantly tapped by Sine Nomine’s Stars Without Number. It’s free, with 100 planetary tags, tables for everything you could dream of… Laboring over such tables seems a waste of energy.
What would be amazing is a set of random tables that give setting-specific discoveries and obstacles that could be mixed and matched. Like, a “Wild Jump Point” for when you don’t have time to prep but are still playing in this setting.
Justin Phillips , Alfred Rudzki Excellent points. I retract my question 🙂
I guess if I were to use these, I’d want to know a bit more about the star system they’re in. What kind of star does the planet orbit? Is it a moon or a terrestrial planet. What kind of atmosphere does it have? Do humans need to wear breath-masks or suits?
We must all reminds ourselves that this is a storytelling game based on the Apocalypse engine. It’s ok to have blanks and it’s ok to ask the players questions to fill in the missing info. Planets should have just enough info to spark ideas. “Play to find out”