• Registered: 2005-03-29
  • Posts: 859

Topic: Idea for really low-tech setting--terrain

I've been thinking about exploring a really low-tech setting for quite a long time, but never gotten around to doing something with it, but after completing my latest setting (which will be up later this week), I decided to bite the bullet.

The setting will be limited to one planet, and each hex, instead of being the multi-mile scale that the standard rules seem to be, will be extremely small--less than a kilometre, maybe even 100 metres. Gravity will be an important thing, as will atmosphere (of course, the ships will be using etheric movement as thats the closest thing to atmosphere out of the three main movement options)

The terrain will basically occupy either a column one hex wide along the long edge, or an entire layer of a three-dimensional map. It will act as a size-1 black hole in every hex for the purposes of compulsory movement, meaning that close to the surface of the planet a combination of both gravity and atmosphere will cause the craft difficulties in staying up.

However, unlike a black hole, the surface (lets call the terrain Planetary Surface) does not automatically destroy the vessel. If the vessel has a current engine factor exceeding that of the compulsory movement, the vessel has safely landed. If not, it has been destroyed. An idea for special equipment, known as streamlining (tentative SU/DRat modifier equal to hyperdrive) reduces the engine requirement to half the compulsory movement to survive an impact.

Stations would represent land fortresses and would not have to worry about crashing, obviously.

Any thoughts?

  • Registered: 2008-12-22
  • Posts: 654

Re: Idea for really low-tech setting--terrain

I like it, particularly the idea for streamlining. I look forward to reading the setting material!
Cheers,
Erik

  • Registered: 2005-03-29
  • Posts: 859

Re: Idea for really low-tech setting--terrain

There are two main issues so far. One is the issue of scale, which ties into the main one, that of what type of setting I'm going for. Low-tech, single planet is the brief, but I don't know whether to go for a technological progression of what happened after the Second World War with rocket-propelled planes and sub-orbital troopships eventually leading to combat between rocket-propelled airships, or a steam-punk setting with lots of airships and a decidedly inter-war feel. The first might give me more opportunity to employ 'advanced' weapons such as lasers, the first might give me the chance to employ air-battleships duelling it out with land fortresses 'Sky Captain' style.

From those two choices arises the issue of scale. The rocket-era setting would be the scale of one hex/layer=3 km, going by the fact that jet aircraft have a altitude record of 37km and propellers 17km, with between sixteen to eighteen levels to represent altitudes up to 48/54 kilometres (allowing as well for some rocket-propelled craft, although allowing for rocket-propelled aircraft's altitude record--112km, might just stretch the scale a bit too much). By this scale, Everest-scale mountains would be represented by something three hexes tall.

The second setting would enable the scale to be radically reduced--however, by how much is something I'd have to work on.

However, I did decide that maybe an added layer could be added, this being the actual 'surface' of the planet and being at sea level, allowing for wet naval forces to enter the fray (and allowing for potentially epic battles focusing on battles in the air, at sea and on land). Land would be represented by asteroid-like terrain that can be one, two or three hexes high, which would be what destroys any ship that crashes.

More thoughts to follow...