There are no rules concerning fuel in UW and I think normally it is not needed because we can assume that the ship is refueled every time they reach a spaceport.
However in situations where the PCs are lost (after a failed wild jump roll), on the run from the authorities or are exploring the periphery of the known universe keeping track of fuel can add a sense of urgency like doom clocks in other PbtA games.
This is stolen from the Black Hack’s “usage die” mechanic: You start with a large die size like d20 or d12 and roll every time it is fictionally appropriate e.g. after a jump, trying to escape at full speed etc.
On a 1 or 2 you decrease the die size (d20 > d12 > d10 > d8 > d6 > d4). After the PCs roll a 1 or 2 on the d4 the fuel for the jump drive is depleted. In the games I am currently running that means the ship is still able to traverse a star system (with impulse drive) but can’t jump.
Obviously you could just draw a countdown clock and tick a segment when appropriate but rolling the dice adds a nice element of tension – and in this case gives you an excuse to bring out these beautiful polyhedral dice again.
I’ve used the usage die for wealth before. I didn’t really like it.
If I were to do fuel, I’d simply give the ship a stat for Fuel, and roll Face Adversity + Fuel. Maybe treat it like Cargo with one of the risks being that it reduces in Class, that way it could be traded if needed.
Are we going with the easy-peasy Traveller convention where hydrogen, or water, or gas-giant gas or any source of hydrogen can be fuel? I suspect this was born out of the anxieties of the 1973 Oil Crisis and Marc Miller said fuel should never be a problem ever again (a prescient aspect of what we now call a post-scarcity future), lol!
If that’s true, fuel should not be a problem except to inject some zest as a plot-point (the Moisture Pirates and their asteroid-sized Converter Ships have been sighted in the Sector! They’ve drained the Sagan Sea dry! How are we going to get off this rock?)
Oh, I should add that my game’s current power is solar based, so if they stay too far from stars, it gets harder and harder to recharge and they can end up stranded.
Aaron Griffin I really like the idea that Fuel is a resource-stat that you roll with. I’d like to play off that if I may.
Fuel is a type of Cargo, with a Class. It can be Bartered just like any other Cargo.
Run On Fumes
When you push your Starship in a Fuel-scarce setting, Roll +Fuel Class used.
On a 10+ you get where you need to go.
On a 7-9, you get where you need to go, but the fuel is used up.
On a 6-, the fuel runs out at the worst possible time/in the worst possible place.
That seems harsher than what I’d do, but if the campaign is about resource scarcity, it fits.
I’d have 7-9 reduce Fuel by 1, and 6- be “you don’t get where you expect, GM says why” or something similar. My thinking is that it makes it gradually expendable, rather than a one-shot deal. I’d maybe even make some allowances for trying to jump with Fuel=0.
But I and my players don’t like the resource management game, so this might not work for those who do.
In your version, I kind of envision the ability to have like 10 units of Fuel, spending them 1-3 at a time.
Aaron Griffin I like the suggestion especially because it’s based on an existing mechanic (FA + modifier). I guess the modifier initially wouldn’t be higher than +3 in order to not mess with the probability curve and I would have to come up with another interesting choice on a 7 – 9 other than reducing the number. I will have to try this in play in order to see whether it creates the tension I want (by gradually reducing the amount of fuel).
Pierre Savoie I hear you but I think being in the “Outer Rim” should be different from travelling through the civilized parts of space. It’s a sci-fi trope (stranded in space, struggling for survival) that should be supported by a mechanic.
Reducing the Class by 1 is not a bad solution honestly. Especially since Class 2 and Class 3 Fuels would be pretty rare, so you’d be stuck with Class 1 and Class 0 Fuels most of the time.
——–
Run On Fumes v2
When you push your ship in a Fuel-scarce situation, load a unit of Fuel and Roll + the loaded Fuel’s Class.
On a 10+, the Fuel supply holds.
On a 7-9, reduce the Fuel’s class by 1.
On a 6-, reduce the Fuel’s class by 3.
If the loaded Fuel’s Class drops below Class 0, then the trip comes to a halt. Otherwise, you get where you wanted to go
——–
This makes Class 3 Fuel extra valuable because it can let you coast even on a 6-. It also makes the cruddy Class 0 fuel extra dangerous because it’ll run out on a 7-9.
Thoughts?
Oh wow I like that one quite a bit. I’d probably mention something about how the class dropping below zero means it’s used up.
I’m adding/stealing this to FBH, fyi
Hmm.
Thoughts pinched for not-a-hack Apocalypse Space.
I like it. A lot of hard fiction makes fuel an interesting resource/crisis point. Other choices for fuel ‘failure’ could be (in increasing orders of bad news…) “It’s a one way trip.”, “You’re not going to get there without burning time and all your consumables.”, or “You can get there, but stopping is going to be a problem.”
Sean Gomes For me the goal of the move should be to create the tension of dealing with scarcity. I prefer a slow build up (like in Dread) but in your move the tension is released pretty quickly. I would probably make something else available on a 7 – 9 in order to keep the tension and to force the players to make tough choices, so for example
On a 10 + choose 3
On a 7-9 choose 2
– The fuel’s class is not reduced by 1
– The engine doesn’t overheat and the ship doesn’t slow down
– The engine doesn’t put an extra strain on another system like shields, life support, navigation etc
/sub
Horst Wurst I feel that goes beyond just fuel and into a full-blown “care and maintenance of your starship” kinda thing. Which is fine, it just ups the scope considerably.
As for the “create tension”, consider the frequency at which the characters will be pushing their ship. If your intent is that the characters push their ship 4-5 times a session, and/or making them make multiple checks per journey, then yes absolutely, slowing down the rate of decay will make for a slower burn. However, as written we tend to handwave the length/distance of travel (because that starts getting into the nitty-gritty), meaning the party will make one check per session, if at all. In that circumstance, a whole campaign could pass before the characters even feel threatened, resource-wise.
Consider the scale, timeframe and frequency of use when considering the Move. Dread makes players use the same “move” dozens of times, and can afford to layer out incremental tension.
As a side note, personally I’m not a huge fan of “choose something that doesn’t happen” in most situations, especially when they can so easily be converted into “choose what does happen”. I admit it’s a bit of a personal preference thing, I find it reads better.
Just to add flavor, the different classes of fuel have different problems.
Class 0, the “Bunker fuel oil” of spaceships. Produces a lot of fast moving neutrons and prolonged usage will render the drive portion of your ship radioactive. You need a “shadow shield” to protect the rest of the ship. It also has a short half-life, so after 6 years, you have 1/4 useable fuel left.
Class 1, mildly radioactive, but has a higher temperature requirement for fusion. Costs less and longer lasting than Class 0.
Class 2, mildly radioactive, but when used in a fusion breeder reactor, will produce Class 3 fuel at a rate of 2 to 1. (2 Class 2 units breeds 1 Class 3 unit) Has the best bang for the buck of all the fuels.
Class 3, not radioactive at all, but doesn’t have the same thrust as Class 2. Used mainly for commercial fusion power generation due to its lack of neutrons. Using it for fuel on a spaceship is a bit like using diamonds in a steamship for fuel.
I would say fuel issues would be handled by a GM Hard Move.
Judd Goswick In usual circumstances, yes absolutely. This is more of a setting-based variant rule, to make the lack of fuel a present threat rather than a consequence.
I like the once a session variant, my players don’t like rolling regularly and recording incremental changes so the ‘one and done’ nature of the v2 move [even v1 was pretty good] is perfect for my needs [RPing in a chat window of a game that doesn’t provide character level action]