Sean, in CL23 there is a list of about 80 worlds; that list (with updates and additions) will be in GPD.

By David Kass (Dkass) on Saturday, May 04, 2002 - 04:42 am: Edit

I have to answer, maybe for the map. I already have the F&E map, so I don't need it. Partly it would depend on what else was on it. The Orion cartel map would be good. A set of "rulers" with the distance at a few standard warp speeds would be good. I can't think of anything else right off hand.

By Randy Buttram (Peregrine) on Saturday, May 04, 2002 - 03:00 pm: Edit

Map: yes,yes,yes...
Orion cartel overlay: gravy, icing on the cake, PLEASE!

By Sean Bayan Schoonmaker (Schoon) on Sunday, May 05, 2002 - 01:50 am: Edit

Gary: Thanks much for that info; I'll pick up a copy post haste.

As for additional bennies on a G:PD map, internal political subdivisions in any of the empires could be nice, particularly when not constrained by the F&E rules.

By Gary Plana (Garyplana) on Sunday, May 05, 2002 - 04:29 am: Edit

Sean, while I'm not in the habit of discouraging people from buying ADB products, there is no map in CL23, just a list of worlds and the hexes on the F&E Map they are in -- and in any event that list in CL23 is already out of date, we had to make some changes.

CAPTAIN'S LOG is a supplement for Star Fleet Battles, so there are less than half a dozen pages total in CL23 of interest to a GURPS player. If you buy it, you will probably be disappointed! Everything regarding GPD that was previewed in CL23 will be printed in greater detail in GPD.

The equivalent product for GPD will be called MODULE PRIME, and will be published one or more times each year.

By Sean Bayan Schoonmaker (Schoon) on Sunday, May 05, 2002 - 06:31 pm: Edit

I play SFB too, so there won't be any waste. Though admitedly I expect to play more G:PD than SFB overall.

By Dwight Lillibridge (Nostromo) on Sunday, May 05, 2002 - 10:35 pm: Edit

I'm game for the map, be nice to have one for F&E games too where the powers go at it and change the face of things like borders.

By Robert Gilson (Bobcat) on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 09:03 am: Edit

I would like to have such a map. The Orion cartel overlay map would be very helpful. Also adding any special touches that might be helpful to roleplayers would be great too.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 10:03 am: Edit

Such special touches would be?

By Sean Bayan Schoonmaker (Schoon) on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 03:00 pm: Edit

Since it's been asked, what I'd like to see in a G:PD universe map:

+ Use the existing F&E map as a base
+ Add the "Off-Map" areas for the various races
--- Necessary so they can explore too!
+ Add internal boundaries that have relevence or modify existing ones
--- Such as Orion cartels, etc.
--- Need not be constrained by the F&E 5-6 hex rule
+ Add other planets with roleplaying significance

Anyone else have additions to that list; I'm sure I've missed something!

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 03:53 pm: Edit

+ Use the existing F&E map as a base

Obvious, ok.

+ Add the "Off-Map" areas for the various races
--- Necessary so they can explore too!

Probably not, at least not any time soon. Has too many implications for other things. F&E players would try to rewrite the rules of "reaction out of off-map areas" to use this new "data". Leave it vague and let GMs decide the travel time to someplace by the "speed of plot".

+ Add internal boundaries that have relevence or modify existing ones

Such as (other than below)

--- Such as Orion cartels, etc.

Creates a VERY confusing map to have two unrelated sets of borders. One would make the other hard to see.

--- Need not be constrained by the F&E 5-6 hex rule

Apparently this rule has escaped my notice as I don't know what it is.

+ Add other planets with roleplaying significance

Every planet mentioned in SFU has a hex number. If more planets are created, they'll have hex numbers as well, assigned as they are created. The problem here is that, if you think it through, publishing such a map means no new planets can ever be created as the map (which by your definition must include every planet of RPG significance) would become obsolete the first time a new planet is invented.

By Nick Blank (Nickb) on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 04:53 pm: Edit

I believe he is talking about the usual 5-6 hexes per province. Obviously the provinces could not be changed at this point, but perhaps could be grouped into larger organizational clusters of provinces. Perhaps a group of provinces whose trade goods all go to one central province they all adjoin before moving onward to the central homeworlds.

Sort of like setting up the larger most improtant trade routes, traffic lanes.

By Sean Bayan Schoonmaker (Schoon) on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 06:12 pm: Edit

Nick: You guessed it exactly!

Steve Cole: Good point. Perhaps (and I'm just brainstorming here) it would be better to put very few planets on the map: only those of serious significance.

This would allow ADB to publish planet lists, which could be updated once in a while, somewhat akin to the ship name lists for SFB.

Perhaps it could be more of a "astro-political" map with different colors (and by that I mean slightly tinted shades of black - not garish colors that would detract from readability) for the different polities.

By Gary Plana (Garyplana) on Tuesday, May 07, 2002 - 04:43 am: Edit

The Orion Cartel map will be in GPD, as well as the regular F&E map.

Or should we start calling it the SFU map?

By Robert Gilson (Bobcat) on Tuesday, May 07, 2002 - 10:39 pm: Edit

What I wouldn't mind seeing is several different maps showing how the borders changed during the many wars. Like the ones on the Omega products.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, May 07, 2002 - 11:19 pm: Edit

Chapter TEN. That's what *I* wouldn't mind seeing. Gary? Are you listening?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, May 07, 2002 - 11:20 pm: Edit

Robert: Those were published in Module Y1 Early Years. After Y120 or so, the borders don't change until Y187 or so, and then only briefly.

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Wednesday, May 08, 2002 - 12:12 am: Edit

Aren't there some faily substansive changes during the Andro War? Of course, most of that consists of races pulling their forces intot he core territories and ceding frontier/border regions to the Andros. I'd imagine after OpUnity the borders would extend back out to where they were.

By Randy Buttram (Peregrine) on Wednesday, May 08, 2002 - 09:38 am: Edit

Well, post-OpUnity is currently the Undiscovered Country of SFB. (Pun intended.) And weren't there some de facto border changes during the General War, as the front lines shifted back and forth?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, May 08, 2002 - 10:16 am: Edit

Front lines aren't borders, although front lines would make an interesting series of maps.

By Sean Bayan Schoonmaker (Schoon) on Wednesday, May 08, 2002 - 01:02 pm: Edit

While interesting from a "historical" perspective (as smaller maps in a timeline or sourcebook), I don't think I'd want the various shifting front lines to clutter a G:PD map for general use.

If an Early Years sourcebook or article in the Module Prime series is eventually done, then a seperate map might go with it, but I suspect that most campaigns would take place in the main years covered by SFB.

By David Kass (Dkass) on Wednesday, May 08, 2002 - 05:25 pm: Edit

One item I'd like to see around the edges of the map is a set of scale bars measuring travel time at common warp speeds (eg one for freighters, one for cruising, one for maximum military speed, maybe one for Xships/fast ships).

Perhaps enlargements of specific areas (I'm thinking the capital hexes here). Like what is done for cities on a standard road map. Again, not the entire map, but on one of the "empty spaces" around the edge.

On the map itself, it might be useful to outline and name the various Lyran Duchies (I belive the counties are already there with the sectors). Simiarly, outlining the Romulan prefectures might be interesting, as well as the territory of the various Kzinti Nobles (Count, Duke, Marquis...). I don't think any of the other races have defined political sectors (well there is the Orion enclave, but that is already on the map).

By Davyd Atwood (Blackelf) on Wednesday, May 08, 2002 - 07:04 pm: Edit

Given that the universe is expressed from the Federation's point of view, I'd expect that the F&E Provinces are the Feds internal divisions. Naming them would be nice, though.

I'd like the big map; the speed sidebars would be nice; the Orion overlay would be nice. I think I'd prefer to see most of the planets left off - instead, include the list. That way, when a new planet gets created, whatever it's in need only mention the hex and the map isn't instantly out of date.

Same benefit for when I create my own planets, actually.

Some detail maps of the capital hexes would be nice, too; showing relative placement and distance between the systems. As a thought for the various racial sourcebooks, solar system displays for each of the capital systems would be cool, too.

I wouldn't want to see the off-map areas developed; that's my playground there. By not ever making an official picture of what that area looks like, I can do whatever I want with it.

Various background shading in the Romulan space showing how much is explored, and when, would be really cool. Maybe a similar thing for the Feds - as I understand it, the borders and neutral zones are established in Early years, but it takes all of the Middle years to explore their territory.

That's all I can think of right now.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, May 08, 2002 - 07:07 pm: Edit

We could name the Fed provinces after the SFB staff!

By Nick Blank (Nickb) on Wednesday, May 08, 2002 - 07:48 pm: Edit

Yeah, just name mine after a particularly empty area of space...