The Cube: Far from done, but...

I am far from done with The Cube, but I'm at the point where I kind of want to start playing with it and see if I'm even barking up the right tree.

Is anyone interested in a G+ sandboxy campaign set within The Cube?  If so, answer what system you'd prefer on the poll to the right and I'll get back to you guys.

The Cube: Corporate Scumbags of Atlantis

So, I'm working on the Atlantis system for The Cube.  What started out as a rather nice tropical ocean world has turned into a pretty crappy system to live in.

First, the Atlantis planet itself is nice enough weather-wise, but lacks a lot of resources.  It's got a fairly high control rating (8) and a pretty low per-capita income (one of the more interesting things that GURPS Space generates that Traveller doesn't) thanks to a relatively low tech level.  Atlantis is, to this point, the only TL 9 planet in The Cube (I'm only halfway through the generation, mind you).  Some of the outlying colonies in the system have TL 8!!!  This relative economic depression and high control coming from a corporate state with little resources at its immediate disposal makes me think that the corporation controlling Atlantis are a bunch of folks who force their employees to live in relative squalor, refusing to upgrade necessary technologies and the like.  Small wonder Atlantis has a sizable terrorist base on it.

Atlantis (332-I) A88A618-9 (Ri Wa)

The Cube: 25% Solution

Alright folks, allow me to introduce you to the first few systems in the Imperial Remnant section of The Cube.  There will be two more IR sections, then a final Independent Worlds section.

The format for the mini-gazetteer of the planets generated is as follows:

System Name (Location) (Stars) (# Gas Giants)
Planet Name (Orbit) UWP (Trade Codes)

A quick note about locations: The format for the locations is ZYX.  So the first system, Ajacan, is located at X=4, Y=3, Z=3.

Gazetteer
Ajacan (334) (G6V/G6V) (0 GG)
Ajacan (334-I) A675937-A (Ga Hi In)
Forlorn (234) (K0V/M5V) (0 GG)
Forlorn (234-I) C300419-A (Ni Va)
Monte Cristo (244) (M4V) (5 GG)
Inner Monte Cristo (244-IV) C000500-A (As Ni Va)
Monte Cristo Naval Base (244-VIIIa) D300200-B (Lo Va)
Outer Monte Cristo (244-X) B000600-A (As Na Va)
Nyerere (342) (G2V) (0 GG)
Nyerere (342-V) A467939-A (Hi)
Songhai (342-IX) C100468-A (Ni Va)
Nok (342-X) C600368-B (Lo Va)
Ostia (242) (G1V/M1V) (0 GG)
Ostia (242-I) C420217-A (De Lo Po)
Paradise (241) (K8III/M2V) (0 GG)
Severin (241-IV) CA00461-C (Ht Ni Va)
Zaschka (241-V) BA00662-B (Na Ni Va)
Hotrock (241-VI) C500462-B (Ni Va)
Paradise (241-VII) B857744-B (Ag Ga)
Redmayne (241-VIII) B000661-A (As Na Ni Va)
Stakhanov (134) (M0V/M0V) (3 GG)
 Stakhanov Naval Base (134-VId) C2A43B8-A (Fl Lo)
Tashkent (134-VIe) C425468-B (Ni)
Benedict (134-VIIe) D000468-A (As Ni Va)
Stakhanov (134-VIIIa) B400619-A (Na Va)
Virginia Dale (341) (K6V/M2V) (0 GG)
Virginia Dale (341-I) C400484-B (Ni Va)

Selected World Descriptions
Ajacan:
As Ajacan is the birthplace and spiritual center of the Machine Faith, there is little wonder why it is one of the few truly industrialized planets in The Cube.  Technical ability dictates where within the social culture a citizen of Ajacan lies.  The most technically astute ascend to the ruling party of the planet, the Machine Priests of Ajacan.  Conspiracy theorists suspect that the Machine Priests have either a cache of pre-Cutoff technology or the means to produce high-tech materials, but are withholding them to keep the people of Ajacan under their control.  Proof has not been forthcoming.
Nyerere:
Although it is too small to be considered a true garden world, Nyerere is a beautiful world which is very accommodating to humans who dress warmly.  While popular with the tourists who are required to stay strictly within the confines of the resort they are staying in, life among the Nyererians is less than ideal.  The ruling party controls the planet with an iron fist, which has spawned several smuggling operations and even a small insurgent population.  The party ruthlessly suppresses them, taking pains to ensure that the tourists do not see the draconian measures.
Outer Monte Cristo:
Monte Cristo's asteroid belts are a chaotic mass of competing miners without anything resembling a government holding them together.  While the need for profit keeps the bloodshed to a manageable level, the same need for profit will also drive parties to violence.  As long as the money is there, the Imperial Remnant and other systems don't seem to mind.  In the middle of all of this is a surprising number of research facilities, many of them taking advantage of the lax circumstances to engage in some questionable research practices.
Paradise:
Warm, peaceful, and free--the words best used to describe the garden world which dominates the Paradise system.  Of course, that freedom has its drawbacks.  Criminals, terrorists, and even pirates take advantage of the civil liberties granted to Paradisians to operate discreetly.  The commitment to individual freedom, even with the security risks involved, lies deep in the heart of the citizens of Paradise.
Redmayne:
A collection of Paradisian mining interests, the asteroid belt of Redmayne is the home of the Paradise Development Corporation, one of the more powerful megacorporations in The Cube.  While an important economic player in the belt, the free-wheeling frontier spirit of Redmayne still manages to dominate everyday life there.  Even more so than on Paradise, individual freedom and responsibility are paramount. 
Severin:
A large ball of boiling rock, Severin is home to the most cutting edge technological research in The Cube.  A joint effort between the government of Paradise, the Scout Corps, and private industry are working to develop a Jump-3 drive which will allow expansion beyond The Cube.
Stakhanov:
Nestled in one of the more remote systems of The Cube, the system as a whole is where a large amount of research interests test and finalize experimental designs.  While much of the theoretical work is done in more central locations, the practical nature of the research in Stakhanov has made it a home for espionage, both corporate and government.  While the Stakhanov Corporation controls many of the planets in the system, they are not the ones usually conducting the research.
Zaschka:
Another of the Paradise system's hot rock planets, Zaschka is a vibrant colony known for it's abnormally large population of Imperial Vargr.  Many of them end up joining the Zaschka Free Army, a mercenary brigade, which opens the door for the ZFA's "Dogs of War" moniker.


A few things I've learned so far:

There is certainly a greater homogeneity to systems generated with GURPS Space.  With 8 systems generated, we've got a ton of non-industrial or vacuum worlds and only two planets which are habitable by humans without any extra gear.  That last one might be pretty realistic, but it means that there is an awful lot of pale skin and indoor action in my Traveller Universe.  I haven't started to get a feel for The Cube as a whole, to see where its tensions and metaplots lurk.  There are an awful lot of totalitarian governments out there (with the notable exceptions of the Wild West that's Monte Cristo and the democratic Paradise system), which means that there will likely be a lot of paranoia when people leave the Starports.

Anyway, that's what I've got for now.  I look forward to any comments or advice.

The Cube: First System

So, I have System 134 pretty much done, maybe a few outposts, but that's it.  Anyway, I ended up with one substantial colony world in the system, in the form of a tiny sulfur moon orbiting a gas giant at the edge of the system.

134-VIIIa        Tiny (Sulfur)
No Atmosphere/Hydrosphere
Surface Temperature 47K (Frozen)
Density .6
Diameter .5
Surface Gravity .30
Mass .08
Heavy Volcanic Activity
No Tectonic Activity
Resources +2 (Very Abundant)
Habitability -1
Affinity +1

COLONY
Tech Level 10
Carrying Capacity 10m
Population 1.5m (PR 6)
Corporate Meritocracy (CR 6)
Per Capita Income 53,600 (Average)
Economic Volume $80B
Class B Star Port
Corporate Headquarters (PR 3)
Criminal Base (PR 1)
Espionage Facilities (1 Civilian (PR 1), 2 Enemy (PR 3, PR 1)
Private Research Centers (2) (PR 2, PR 1)
Rebel/Terrorist Base (PR 1)
Scout Base (PR 3)

For the most part, it seemed to start out as a simple mining colony on a resource-rich, but dangerous, moon.  When I did the random rolls for installations on the planet, that's when things got interesting.

It's a Corporate Headquarters for a seemingly huge company (the headquarters has a population in the thousands, after all) with a decent research base and a sizable Scout Service presence.  The criminal, espionage, and terrorist bases are the ones that raised my eyebrow.  An enemy government literally has THOUSANDS of agents on the system.

One of the technological themes I was debating was the lack of Jump-2 in the hands of the civilian sector.  While this is a TL10 world (giving them a mere Jump-1), what if this is the main locus of FTL research in the imperial portion of The Cube?  That would explain quite a bit of why so many people are interested in it.  One of the reasons the authority of the Imperial Remnant can be maintained is the monopoly they hold on Jump-2 starships.  Terrorists or criminals with Jump-2 would be game-changers.


I'm thinking that the large espionage contingent will be from whoever the most ambitious (and hostile) system I end up generating among the remaining 21 imperial systems.  The rest of them will be taking advantage of the meritocratic system, figuring out ways to crack the tests to get their people in key positions.  I'm seeing the strict control as a very flimsy house of cards, riddled with interlopers who are undermining it for their own factions' benefit.  Things could go south here in a hurry.


Fun Times in the Cube, folks.

The Cube: Reboot

Just as I was ready to post my 10% solution (a mini-gazetteer of the first 10 systems generated for my Traveller sandbox), I leave my thumb drive in the computer at a lab at school.  When I returned an hour later (after I realized I did it), it was gone.  I checked again this morning and no one had turned it in.  *le sigh*

While I can replace all of the PDFs on it, all of the work I did on the Cube was there, and a somewhat substantial chunk of my LotFP sandbox as well.  Grrr.  I haven't been putting as much work into that as I should, but the players are having fun, and that's what's important.  I'm running a lot of prefab adventures for them, anyway.  This week, "A Stranger Storm."

So, I'm starting over on The Cube.  I'm taking the lessons learned from the original effort and using that to shape out and better have something ready to share sooner, rather than later. 

I shrunk the size of the Cube from 6pc on a side to 4pc.  What I realized that while the number of stars is comparable to two subsectors, that GURPS Space generates so many habitations for each system, I'd have waaaaaay more than I needed, so 4pc it is.  As it stands, I'll be generating 30 star systems, 22 of which are in a cluster reachable by Jump-1, the remaining 8 systems (2 two-system pairs and 4 wholly isolated systems) are reachable by Jump-2.

So, instead of posting a 10% solution every time I get 3 systems done, I'll probably break the main cluster up into two parts and then do the independent systems in a third update.

See you in a few weeks!

The Cube: What it looks like.

A highly scientific map of The Cube

So, I am skipping over the trade information while I generate the systems.  Still, I've been curious about how The Cube is "shaped."  While parked at my FLCS (Friendly Local Coffee Shop), I drew up a little map of The Cube.

I found some interesting things by doing this:

1. There is a "core" of 70 worlds that are within Jump-1 of each other.  I reckon that will be my main imperial remnant.  I'll have to explore the "arms" of it as time permits and the systems themselves get generated.
2. There are seven other distinct entities which are separated by a larger than one parsec gap.  One is an isolated world, three are pairs of systems, and two are smaller pockets of nine and eight systems, respectively.
3. The baseline tech level for the game is TL10--Jump-1--but with some TL11 systems out there.  I intend to have Jump-2 completely in the hands of the government.  This means trade and contact between the eight separate entities will be wholly through government means.
4. Jump-2 opens up the whole cube, so all of the systems I rolled are available for play.  It is probably also the most strategically important technology in the game.  I imagine a considerable chunk of the espionage in the game will be geared toward securing Jump-2 for corporate or other government agencies.  
5. What this tells me is that I should focus on the main remnant first, generating those 70 systems (6% complete-woo hoo!) before even thinking about the remaining 28.
6. The "Alien Enclave" options I roll can alternately be "Other Entity Enclaves" as well.  With the limited travel between the entities, it's likely that enclaves will need to be set up within other entities.

The more I develop, the more I enjoy about this.

The Cube: A "Realistic" Space Environment

BeRKA over at The Zhodani Base pointed me to a pretty funny comic about generating worlds using the semi-realistic tables found in GURPS Space.  It's funny because it's true.  Fours systems down and not a single habitable planet among the lot.  ALMOST got one with system 122, but the Standard-sized planet was 10 degrees too cold and became an Ice World.  Bummer.

For full context, check out Irregular Webcomic! (Linked above)

The nice part is that it is Traveller, so I don't need a Garden world to have a good time.  In those four systems, we've got civilization on over ten planets, moons, or asteroid belts.  One of them is a high-population world, some of them exceed the average tech level.

It's interesting to see how this plays out.  I could see the realistic system generation being kind of dull if the game was exploration based, but that is one aspect of the game I plan on ignoring completely.  The Scout/Survey organization won't have a whole lot of pure exploration to do.  I'll have to think of the right angle to play with them.

The rather large number of rebel/terrorist bases on the planet are kind of interesting as well.  I think the underlying theme of dissent might permeate the game.

Anyway, more to follow.

The Cube: Results and Thoughts

Using a semi-realistic world generation system like GURPS Space is an awful lot of work and math.  I will likely not be done with this sandbox until the end of the year and that's no joke.  I've been working at it a few hours each day since Thursday and I've ALMOST got my second system done.  I might be getting myself into the weeds and I'm trying to figure out the most efficient path.

Until I come up with a decent way to package the full system write-ups, I won't go into too much detail regarding the systems I am generating.  However, here are some aspects of The Cube which depart from what traditional Traveller does:

1. The Universe is three-dimensional, which is a vast departure from the 2D subsector maps.  I attempted to have the same number of systems as the two subsectors suggested by Rob Conley in his "How to Make a Traveller Sandbox" article.  That's why The Cube is 6x6.  I ended up with 100 systems to work with, compared to 80 given a 50% chance and 160 hexes in two subsectors.
2. With GURPS Space as my world-generation method, I end up creating many more viable worlds in each solar system.  I haven't thought about system names yet, but in "System 114," there are three inhabited worlds, each with their own UWP, a full colony and two outposts.  "System 115" has A very large asteroid colony, a smaller asteroid colony, and an outpost on the moon of a gas giant.  I don't know if three systems will be the mean, but if it is, there will be 300 UWPs to work with.
3. There will likely be fewer "low-tech/high-tech" worlds in The Cube.  There will be worlds with lower TLs, some with slightly higher than normal, but most worlds will be TL10.

In case you were wondering, here are the UWPs for System 114.  I'm still working on 115.

Ice World    114-1        B420676-A    De Na Ni Po
Ice Dwarf    114-2        E2D5344-A    Fl Lo
Ice Dwarf    114-5        D2D5356-A    Fl Lo