We're investigating another Mass Effect game as our alternate "break game" for when someone can't make it to the main game. The thought is that it will be set at a space station somewhere, and unlike our other game, will be relatively fixed in place instead of roving around the galaxy.
I don't think we're set on a where the station is yet, but rather than diving right into setting-specific stuff, what are some useful parameters to start nailing down what sort of a place this station is?
Some that I came up with initially:
- Situated on the frontier or right out in the "badlands"?
- Beacon of light type situation (its a place with law, order and authority) or hive of scum and villainy?
- Are the PCs the establishment who run the place, or just more of the chancers who live there contesting with the authorities?
- Multi-species melting pot or predominantly one species in particular?
What other questions that help define what's going on are useful with designing a sci fix space station as the main fixture of a setting?
What function was the station constructed for? Military? Political? Economic? Scientific? etc...
How has it drifted from (or not) that purpose?
Here is an idea:
1) Very big asteroid, with carved tunnels and facilities, etc.
2) Originally built by an unknown alien race long ago. At some point abandoned, and later found by some human colonists.
3) An important part of the station was retro-fitted to suit the needs of the new human colony. Some other unknown parts were sealed. These areas are dangerous for unclear reasons.
4) Mostly a human space-station reasonably lawful and ordered. Unfortunately, at some point was a dispute who almost degenerated into a war between two factions. The rebel "evil side" was finally obliterated except for a few of them who escaped into the unknown, sealed part. They have been unheard of so far, but...
5) Later (meaning recently) a group of aliens came to the station. Their help is direly needed by the humans, so they have a mean to obtain what they want. These aliens are there to survey something, probably related to those who built the station a long time ago, but who knows, they don't really want to tell about their own business.
6) There are other asteroids, where nasty things could hide.
i dont know about mass effect specificly but i will say that space stations tend to work best with a large variety of species
I've been watching my way through Deadwood lately, so that sort of situation - a town of pioneers/miscreants/anti-social types out on the edge of wilderness dealing with the encroachment of 'civilization'... larger powers moving into the area and the combined resistance to change and welcoming of what all those resources will bring... various factions jockeying for where they'll stand in the coming regime when the station and its local system are subsumed into the neighboring quadrant.
So a 'hive of scum and villainy' in transition... friction between the lawful settlers showing up and the lawless types who hate the idea of losing their freedom.
Resentment by the pioneers that after they reclaimed the station, kept it functioning, found profit nearby... now the corporates and settlers want to come in and profit off their efforts.
I like the idea that the station was built by earlier uses/owners and then abandoned. It adds a bit of mystery and possibility for what might turn up later.
Keeping to parameters and not setting is hard. :)
The big ones I can think of would be:
- Was this an abandoned or ancient station that was restored by your current settlers?
- Just how new is the station?
- Is it the only thing in this star system, or is there a settled planet below?
- Or are there other orbital facilities, like farms, or factories, gas mining stations?
- What is the volume of interstellar trade?
- Is this maybe a trans-shipment point?
I am just posing these to the OP. What kind of feel are you looking for?
I've never run this sort of game, but if I did I'd probably draw inspiration from DS9 and Babylon 5 (not really familiar with the ME universe).
In your terms that would probably mean a frontier, beacon of light, PCs run the place, multi-species melting pot set-up.
I agree with the others that establishing one or more purposes for the station is the most important favtor in shaping what your game sessions will feel like. Trading outpost? Diplomatic effort? Research center? Military base? Religious mission, like a cathedral hurtling through space? Possibly more than one of these?
yep you most likely want deep space 9 you may or may not want to throw out the war and the wormhole though
For clarity, I'm not asking for people to decide what they think is best, or suggest what works. I'm not the GM for this game; the idea is to ask questions that will help define the game. Things which nail down what is and isn't going on at the place.
oh i see
well in that case
is the station or something nearby important for travel
does it have a bar
whats the owner of the bar like
who is head of security
what planets are nearby
whats its shape
who leads it
what group does the leader represent if any
does it have mounted weapons
whats the local economy like
Another big question is how many people are on board the station. A thousand? Ten thousand? A million?
Also, how many of these are permanent residents, and how many are transients?
Is there a large undocumented population? And how widely do estimates of the undocumented population vary? (It shouldn't be too large; the station life support systems will be over-taxed.)
If there's an undocumented population, why?
Where do they live, and how do they survive?
And how do the other residents view them?
Overall, is the station occupied at full capacity, is it only partly full, or is it almost abandoned?
Is it shiny and new, or is it old and decrepit, with life support apt to fail if someone sneezes too hard?
Do people there eat algae and vat-grown "spaminal" meat, or is the station big enough to support agriculture?
Do they grow hemp (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemp)?
What are their exports, if any?
and not just hemp you need to know all there crops theres a lot to choose from
wheat
rape
luppins
carrots
apples
all sorts of things
oh and potatos do they have potatos thats the big one
oh and animals to cows sheep goats
what threats are there to the farms disease predators etc
I am not familiar with Mass Effect. How does it compare with CT Traveller or Mongoose Traveller?
Quote from: BillDowns;820962I am not familiar with Mass Effect. How does it compare with CT Traveller or Mongoose Traveller?
I'm not familiar with Traveller, so I couldn't say. :)
i dont have much expirence with it but i know there are 2 kinds of a.i virtual intelligence and true artificial intelligence
I would think that space stations are a rather fragile environment, even large ones. So I would be concerned with basic survival questions:
1. If there are bad guys around, why haven't they blown up the station yet? Or blasted big holes in it?
2. Who controls the electricity? Who or what could take that control away?
3. Who controls the water? Food? Waste disposal? Air? Gravity?
4. Does the station stay in one place, either in orbit or not, or can it move, even slowly around a solar system?
We had an initial discussion earlier and nailed down some specifics. We're on the frontier, but not in the same system as the main mass relay. In other words not on a main trade or travel route.
It's a hollowed-out asteroid that was used in a previous age as an observation post to monitor the primitive civilisation on the planet below it. It's now being used for the same task by a new scientific mission. There's only a few hundred people here, mostly associated with that. There's a lot of unexplored interior with deactivated tech in it.
In the same system is a mining outpost which is a classic boomtown situation.
so are they watching the same or a different civilisation
how close is this mining outpost because thats something thats going to play a huge roll in this game
also i love the idea of the research vessel near the mining outpost
i fell you should ask most of the questions asked of the research station of the mining station as well
also what are they mining