Author Topic: Designing a System  (Read 4081 times)

Archameades

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Designing a System
« on: 20 February 2011, 17:57:51 »
I'm designing a system for a new campaign to be centered around, but am finding myself with writers block.  I've fleshed out the major details myself, but haven't found anything past the basics.  I'm wondering if a few of you can lend me some of your creativity with ideas.

The system should be about 2 jumps into the Periphery from one of the major 5, set in the early 3010s..  I don't want anything too near an aggressive periphery power or in the clans invasion corridor.

USIIR ratings
Population is around 40 Million
AD:   C
RM:   F
ID:    C
ID:    C
TS:    C

The planet itself is ideal for colonization being tropical (35 degrees at the equator) with slightly high gravity at 1.3.  It has a habitable moon that while similar is pretty hot (45 degrees) which has not been colonized in any way.  One of the PCs will be from a free trader family that visits the system once or twice a year.  Although that should be the extent of the impact from outsiders.  Pirate activity has been virtually non-existent over the last few hundred years, but is likely to increase soon.  I'm not picturing a amish community, but decent telecommunications and medicine.  I want almost no military infrastructure, but cars, farming/industrial equipment, and small naval vessels should be around if not wide spread.

Can anyone offer me some help fleshing this out?  Government, cities, population outlook, political motivations now and in the past... All input is appreciated.


dieffenbachj

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #1 on: 20 February 2011, 23:15:30 »
"When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand." - Raymond Chandler

To me, your system write up just says "BORING!". You've written up a pastoral, middle-tech village planet: no pirate activity, pleasant landscape, decent resources, half-hearted trade, no military needs, etc. etc. As you said, akin to Amishworld but with less dedication to the simple life =P

So first thing I'd do is throw in a guy with a gun. Be it a pirate group (if you don't want active piracy/warfare, perhaps the pirate group in question is receiving protection money from the planet as a whole), or maybe a crime boss with aspirations for running the whole place...

Or I'd maybe investigate WHY this planet can lead such a peaceful life when, its military as it is with a decent industrial complex, conquering it or pirate-raiding it would be low risk and high profit. Perhaps it has a tainted atmosphere that 5% of all humans have a resistance to, so the entire planet consists of people literally evolved to the environment (with a 5% genetic prevalence, it wouldn't take more than a few generations for the 'new' humans to exist), making invasions very difficult and expensive (gathering an army of soldiers trained in hazard suits and breathing gear versus an army of people who don't need it... latter wins).

Or, you have selected a planet with an F-rated raw material dependence, and nothing above a C in terms of ability to export. Meaning, this idyllic rock has a medium-strength industry and absolutely no materials to support that industry with. I'd investigate what they can possibly be exporting in return for materials! Maybe it's tied in with the other things... the pirates bring them raw materials, they build replacement parts and things for the pirates, the pirates then don't attack them.

If you have writers block, just get nitpicky at all the little details on your planet that don't make sense (like an uninhabited habitable moon when habitable worlds are in high demand, or what keeps asteroids from slamming into the high-gravity world, or how the planet deals with the inevitable uprisings or factionalization without a strong military--religion?--or why on such a supposedly warm farmish planet they struggle so hard to achieve 'Breadbasket' rating) and come up with oddball solutions for all of them (like my tainted atmosphere idea). You don't have to KEEP each oddball solution, but once you start nitpicking and coming up with answers for strange loopholes in your planet's history, you've restarted the process of thinking and it might refresh your creative juices and break the writers block.

Archameades

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #2 on: 21 February 2011, 11:29:12 »
Thank you for your suggestions, I love the tainted atmosphere idea.  But perhaps it's biological, something they found a cure for in the past, but don't share with foreigners..  Any pirates coming in system die from infection after X amount of time..?

I rolled the system for the most part randomly from the old rules in Explorer Corps.  Hence, the habitable moon.  It's not colonized because the locals don't have the technology or expertise to get there, let alone try and develope it.  No one else has settled it, because it is for the most part isolated, with the majority or visitors being deceased.

As for the lack of progression in agriculture?  I'm having trouble coming up with something there.  Industrial development and Industrial output will always suffer from lack of resources.  Technological progress required decent industry and an abundance of food, generally. 

Perhaps the majority of the population are environmentalists?  Unwilling to permit any large scale development for resource extration or non-sustainable agriculture? 

Cannon_Fodder

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #3 on: 21 February 2011, 17:06:05 »
I would dump the habitable moon. Maybe no atmosphere but mineral rich.

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Archameades

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #4 on: 22 February 2011, 11:55:31 »
I could dump the moon being habitable, I'm not in love with anything in the system specifically.  I used explorer corps for designing the planets and system and then used dieffenbachj's planet generator for the USIIR ratings and the population (I couldn't find anything in a canon release that would generate these for me)

When I roll up characters/events/planets, I typically try to stick with my natural rolls; but find a way to justify them that can make sense in universe.  Like how to maintain a C level technology and industry with almost no resources in a periphery system that seees very little merchant traffic.

XaosGorilla

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #5 on: 22 February 2011, 15:53:19 »
        As for the lack of agriculture, is it possible that the society is regressing?  In an industrialized nation only 3-5% of the population provide all of that same pops. food needs.   If something were to have killed off all or nearly all the farmers, then someone else is going to have to LEARN how to grow food. And learn it really fast. just a thought.

Archameades

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #6 on: 24 February 2011, 15:21:01 »
A localized version of the tech regression seen across the Inner Sphere?  Especially on the agricultural side?  That could work really well; with the atmosphere is tainted on a biological level.  Even if a cure or treatment is known; the extra exposure to the environment that agriculture requires could cause lower lifespans for farmers.  Alternately, if the soceity has gotten around that by growing all their food in controlled environments then the population required to maintain that standard will be steep also.

I have to wonder how much the average person knows about Animal Husbandry or raising food crops on the massive scale that would be required to feed 40 Million people or even 1 million.  Or perhaps some early Soviet style farming collective that is incredibly ineffient; by accident or design to control the population?

dieffenbachj

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #7 on: 24 February 2011, 19:30:27 »
Feeding people on a massive scale doesn't require industrialized farming, in fact you get more calories/nutrients per acre if you use the standard pre-industrial farming model of mixed animals and vegetables.

In fact, if this society is so backwards, they would probably HAVE to go over to pre-industrial farming techniques, since modern industrial farming depends upon modern science and medicine to keep the entire system from becoming a plague-filled pile of rotting cattle. I imagine that when humanity was first settling planets, they had to have dedicated non-industrial farmers; the reason is that even on Earth, whose biology we're used to, it's really hard to keep up with keeping our cattle from keeling over or our corn from getting killed by a single enterprising virus or bacteria. If you go to another planet, whose biology you're not used to, and you try to monoculture farm... well, the planet's ecology will probably just laugh at you and watch your disease-riddled crops rot to dust. If this planet got to the colonization stage, but never received the advanced science or technology required to advance it to the industrialized-farming stage... they might not even have a choice, never having developed the antibiotics or genetic redesigns of local plants required to turn it into an industrial world.

The rule for pre-industrial is that for every 10 people, 9 people need to be farmers in order to feed the other 1 person, who will be off doing sciency or administrative things; considering that you've described a planet that has a mediocre industrial sector and technological sector, AND doesn't have enough food surplus to warrant major exports, that model seems to fit your planet's statistics nicely.

* * * *

I don't know, I'm just spewing random things I know and speculate on off the top of my head, trying to inspire you with random thoughts. There are a lot of reasons for the notion that this planet simply is not advanced enough to support mass farming in the way Earth today is experiencing it. But that's only one idea, pick the one you like best =P

On another note, I'll quickly relate a planet in MY game that is actually running on similar terms to yours... maybe you'll get a couple ideas. Or maybe I'm just showing off a cool planet I made, who knows, right?

74 Orionis
Noble Ruler: Chairman Yu Xióng
Star Type (Recharge Time): M1VII (202 hours)
Position in System: 2nd of 6
Time to Jump Point: 2.96 days
Number of Satellites: None
Surface Gravity: 1.19
Atm. Pressure: Standard (Breathable)
Equatorial Temperature: 27 °C (Arctic)
Surface Water: 67 percent
Recharge Station: None
HPG Class Type: None
Highest Native Life: Fish
Population: 32,400,000
Socio-Industrial Levels: C-C-A-C-F

Its history is that it was a terraforming project located near Terra, initiated just before the Amaris Coup. When the Exodus happened, the SLDF folks on the planet left and took their dropships and jumpships with them, waving goodbye to the colonists and saying "We'll totally tell people you're stranded here, I'm sure they'll pick you up." Predictably, no such rescue ever happened, and the icy, asteroid-laden mining colony was left to its own devices on a planet which wasn't even advanced enough to have plant life, just scum on top of the ice-cold water that the fish would suck up. At least they had a half-finished biodome, a single fusion reactor, and equipment for strip mining and terraforming the planet. They dug into the ground where the atmosphere was thicker and warmth could be retained, and they did the best they could to maintain the terraforming equipment, mine raw materials, and build a society while they waited (and, eventually, gave up waiting).

They eventually got, by dedicating their entire population to the task, a Class C Agricultural Output rating composed of mostly native fish, pond scum, and imported soy beans in the biodome they struggled to finish. But then, near the year 3,000, pirates jumped into the system to evade capture by Lyran forces. They realized that, though merchant work wasn't their thing, if they would just keep the planet hush and supply the locals with food, they could force the locals to create a gold mine of raw materials. Though living under the control of a company of pirates wasn't exactly ideal, the planet was able to get its Industrial and Technological levels up at the cost of its Agricultural level thanks to the steady supply of food.

The mercenaries the players are playing have been hired to bust into this secret pirate star system, steal any and all Star League era terraforming technology, and get out. As it turns out, the corporation which hired them found out about the planet when another corporation found out and kicked the pirates off, and the pirates, being irate that their retirement plan was stolen from them, told the second corporation and plans to attack at the same moment the second corporation sends the mercenaries, hoping to kick EVERYONE off planet (except for the colonists of course) so they can have their cash cow back.

* * * *

There's something about the idea of a technologically backward planet that is struggling agriculturally and is being protected/abused by pirates which is very appealing to me =P

truetanker

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #8 on: 01 March 2011, 18:14:18 »
I do not have my books with me, family storage a few states over.

What is the best low-level farming, heavy industrial planet with a minor lordship look like?

I don't remember what the letters stood for.
Quote
Socio-Industrial Levels: C-C-A-C-F

Can anyone explain this to me?

TT
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Azeroth Pocketverse
That is, if true tanker doesn't beat me to it. He makes truly evil units.Col.Hengist on 31 May 2013
TT, we know you are the master of nasty  O0 ~ Fletch on 22 June 2013
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dieffenbachj

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #9 on: 02 March 2011, 12:34:51 »
The letters are, in order:

Technological Sophistication (how high-tech they are)
Industrial Development (the quality of what they can build)
Raw Material Dependence (how much they have to import for their industry)
Industrial Output (the quantity of what they can build)
Agricultural Dependence (how much food they make).

A is usually best-of-the-best, and is fairly rare. Most capitol worlds are A-A-A-A-A or something close to it.

C is average, some imports, some exports, nothing too fantastic (BattleMechs requiring B-level Industrial Development) but not too shabby.

F is simply 'nonexistant': no technology, no industry, no raw materials, no food, whatever.

And B and D are in-betweens as you might expect.

truetanker

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Re: Designing a System
« Reply #10 on: 02 March 2011, 13:15:17 »
Thanks...

TT
Khan, Clan Iron Dolphin
Azeroth Pocketverse
That is, if true tanker doesn't beat me to it. He makes truly evil units.Col.Hengist on 31 May 2013
TT, we know you are the master of nasty  O0 ~ Fletch on 22 June 2013
If I'm attacking you, conventional wisom says to bring 3x your force.  I want extra insurance, so I'll bring 4 for every 1 of what you have :D ~ Tai Dai Cultist on 21 April 2016
Me: Would you rather fight my Epithymía Thanátou from the Whispers of Blake?
Nav_Alpha: That THING... that is horrid
~ Nav_Alpha on 10 October 2016