Welcome back to another episode of 'Let's Build a Universe!' Or at least a small piece of a universe called a subsector. Last time I rolled up a bunch of worlds and starports and jump lanes. Today, I'm going to start figuring out what is on these worlds.
First up, a list of the characteristics that define a world in Traveller. They are: Starport Type (which we already have), Planetary Size, Planetary Atmosphere, Hydrographics, Population, Government, Law Level, and Technological Index. Only three of those are physical characteristics of the planet itself; the rest are based on who lives there.
So, to start our wall of text, each world gets its own notebook page. In these wonderful days of high technology, however, we'll go with a Word file. Or maybe a Google Docs file; that way, I can share it. Also, the worlds need names, and that information (along with their subsector and hex number) go on their pages. I guess I should name this subsector, then. Did I miss that step? I didn't see it mentioned in the first couple of pages. Well, let's call it...I'm going to hold off for now and see what kind of worlds are generated.
Other information that can be added to the world pages include radiation characteristics of the star. So, I guess we come up with that information on our own. I took a couple of courses in Astronomy, so I have a good basis to start from. We also need the terrains on the planetary surface (no Hoth or Tatooine here, where the whole planet is the same), unique encounter tables (and we get information on getting those together later on), flora and fauna, industrial or agricultural capacity (which we can get from the trade stuff in the second book), even maps of the surface. Oh, and one other thing, planets get the same number/letter strings as characters do, although they obviously mean different things.
Okay, so we start with starports. And I was right; A is the best, E sucks, and X means there is no starport at all. The type indicates how good the facilities are. So, an A would be like a major international airport with plenty of planes coming in, while an E would be like a farmer's field with a mowed section for a cropduster to land on. Don't bring one of those huge 5000-ton ships to an E; it might not be able to land safely.
Planetary size is just the planet's diameter in thousands of miles. It's used to calculate gravitation strengths and planetary templates for space combat. To calculate the planetary size, just roll 2D and subtract 2 from the roll, for a number from 0-10. If it's a zero, then it's an asteroid or planetoid complex. You can also get alternative world forms, which will be discussed later. Cool so far.
Atmosphere is next. This one requires more math, as you roll 2D, subtract 7, and add the planet's size. A planet size of 0 means you've got a 0 for atmosphere, regardless of what is rolled. Some atmospheres will require masks or protective clothing, and of course there's a table later. The suspense is eating me. Or is that the air?
Hydrographic percentage is just how much water there is. Or, in some cases, other liquids like ammonia, depending on the atmosphere. Again, roll 2D and subtract 7, then add the size. A size of 0 or 1 means no hydrographics, period. Oh, and if the planet's atmosphere is 0, 1, or higher than 9, subtract 4 more from the hydro roll.
So, that covers the physical characteristics, and we're done with the page. But of course, I need to actually start creating these planets, so I'm going to do this part of it now. I'm also going to start that Google Docs I mentioned so I can keep track of everything. Let's see how it goes.
Again, I'm going to save time by using a spreadsheet instead of dice. I know, it's sacrilege. But the rest of the family is sleeping, and dice-rattling wakes people up. I'll put the results up for the next post before I go on to the next page.
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