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Pen & Paper Roleplaying Central => Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion => Topic started by: Phantom Black on July 25, 2012, 10:17:58 PM

Title: [SWN] Several questions... (while trying to write homebrew setting)
Post by: Phantom Black on July 25, 2012, 10:17:58 PM
Hi folks!
As i'm trying to write a homebrew setting for "Stars Without Number" i came upon some questions and i wondered whether someone here knowsd the answers to them.

1st) What's the difference between a starship and a spaceship, rules-wise?
I noticed that some faction assets are type-marked in the tables as "spaceship", while some are marked as "starship" type. I can't find a difference in meaning (even tried full-text search), although there seems to be one, for it's not fluff text, but rule terms.
(I have another possible explanation, but that would hint at bad prood-editing, though...)

2nd) What would be the best method to gauge a factions FacCred income and current amount of FacCred if it's an NPC faction?
(Yes, i could eyeball the income and the savings, but it seems too arbitrary for me.)

3rd) Assume i have an NPC faction that that i want to be a planetary government on a remote planet in a remote system in a galaxy far far away...
Shall i give it a fitting tag or could i drop that because i want them to be Plutocratic and have an Exchange Consulate?

4th) How could i emulate (stats-wise) an order of alien scholars that have access to pretech technology knowledge and lore, but are, given their cloistered life (that has a background in their history), at a technological stage similar to Earth's 20 century?
 
 
Any ideas or hints?

Share your thoughts and oppinions, please!
Title: [SWN] Several questions... (while trying to write homebrew setting)
Post by: SineNomine on July 26, 2012, 09:17:59 AM
Quote from: Phantom Black;564515Hi folks!
As i'm trying to write a homebrew setting for "Stars Without Number" i came upon some questions and i wondered whether someone here knowsd the answers to them.

1st) What's the difference between a starship and a spaceship, rules-wise?
I noticed that some faction assets are type-marked in the tables as "spaceship", while some are marked as "starship" type. I can't find a difference in meaning (even tried full-text search), although there seems to be one, for it's not fluff text, but rule terms.
(I have another possible explanation, but that would hint at bad prood-editing, though...)
No, that's bad proofing- all of them should be "starship". I'll have to put it on the list of things to fix in the next release.

Quote2nd) What would be the best method to gauge a factions FacCred income and current amount of FacCred if it's an NPC faction?
(Yes, i could eyeball the income and the savings, but it seems too arbitrary for me.)
Page 114- FacCred income is equal to half Wealth rounded up, plus one quarter of their total Force and Cunning rounded down. For savings for an NPC faction, you can just assume they've got a turn's worth of income packed away for emergencies.

Quote3rd) Assume i have an NPC faction that that i want to be a planetary government on a remote planet in a remote system in a galaxy far far away...
Shall i give it a fitting tag or could i drop that because i want them to be Plutocratic and have an Exchange Consulate?
You can set up factions any way that suits your needs. Really, they're intended as event generators for the GM and an extra dose of surprise for the referee. If your situation recommends setting them up in a particular fashion, you should always feel free to ignore the usual guidelines.

Quote4th) How could i emulate (stats-wise) an order of alien scholars that have access to pretech technology knowledge and lore, but are, given their cloistered life (that has a background in their history), at a technological stage similar to Earth's 20 century?
If they have TL5 in a vault somewhere but only ever use TL3, then they should stick with TL3 assets. Of course, if the PCs push them too hard, they may decide to break out grandpa's metadimensional energy cannons. By the same token, if the PCs decide to make an adventure out of hitting them, they might find the elite guards or monastic protectors are packing far better gear than they were expecting.
Title: [SWN] Several questions... (while trying to write homebrew setting)
Post by: Phantom Black on July 26, 2012, 11:42:37 AM
Thanks a lot!