Author Topic: Describing colony worlds to players in SFRPG campaigns  (Read 1434 times)

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Offline Takeyabue

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Describing colony worlds to players in SFRPG campaigns
« on: July 02, 2014, 12:07:42 AM »
I am playing around with changing/expanding some of normal statistical information that I provide about colony worlds to my players during campaigns. My hope is that by using other/additional statistical descriptors, I can help to bring activity ideas to the minds of my players and move them away from passively waiting for something to happen.

If a part of the description of a colony world in a SFRPG campaign is that the colony world is a "net energy importer", what does that tell you about the world?

What type of world would you expect to be a "net energy importer"?

What other descriptive phrases would you expect to go along with "net energy importer"?

If the description was expanded to say that "the colony imports nearly 35% of the energy consumed on a regular basis", would that change the perception you have of the colony world?

Are you conditioned to think that all worlds in an SFRPG campaign are self-sufficient in relation to energy?

Takeyabue

Offline Wolfhound

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Re: Describing colony worlds to players in SFRPG campaigns
« Reply #1 on: July 02, 2014, 10:40:17 AM »
I think that such information is very useful, as any colony world will need to be either self sufficient when it comes to energy or import source of energy from outside (depending on what those energy sources are).  Food and/or water are other such details that is worth considering as part of the standard information, as are various types of manufactured goods that may not be produced locally but are needed due to the industries or resources that are present locally. 

After all, those types of economic drivers are often times a critical part of the local economy for any location or society. 

As far as being an energy importer, what types of energy sources are you thinking that they would need to have imported (petroleum/petrochemical fuel sources, materials for nuclear generation, etc.)? 
Wolfhound (aka Aaron Smalley)
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Offline markc

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Re: Describing colony worlds to players in SFRPG campaigns
« Reply #2 on: July 02, 2014, 12:56:10 PM »
I agree with Wolfhound that imports (needs) and exports (abundance's) of planets.
 
As to energy importer, I guess to me it would say that the planet is one of the following; not that advanced tech wise, does not have that many people so it does not need advanced infrastructure, planet lacking in resources, a frontier world or throw back planet or the planet is an extreme environment. 


I think that I would need or would like to see more info about the planet in some way as net energy importer is very vague. I hope that advances in tech can be able to build basic energy supplies from the following, dramatic changes in temp (low level electricity), wind, solar, water (hydro and wave) and even something like vacuum power from SM:P or Dark Energy power.
 Then there are things that might be possible such as Psionic Power or Magic Power depending on your game universe. Those can be a really interesting universe plot line or plot point, IMHO


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