Trade off: Mneme Definitions has to be simple enough for me

 Sadly I cannot simplify enough that its accurate to how professional scientists can use it, while being something I can follow. Reminds me of trying to understand Accounting during our EPRnext migration, and always breaking it down to concepts I can grasp. 

Mneme Definitions of Planet > Dwarf Planet > Minor Planet > Asteroid > Meteor (Still a work in Progress)

When the GM or the Player arrives in a Solar System (another term that needs to be defined in a world builder) they can typically detect a number of Significant Bodies. 

I'm playing with Jump Points being in the L2 of the Second Largest Body (which can be a Companion Star) in a Solar System. And when they Jump into a System they are in the relative stand still in the L2. 

Most of the "Capitals" of a System are Terrestrial Worlds comparable to Earth - what in Mneme defines as a Planet. But some can be dwarf worlds the size of Earth's Moon Luna (because Moon is a category and relationship, defining natural satellites). Its possible to be a Capital on a Asteroid comparable to Ceres. 

When rolling Super-Earths (planets greater than Earth in mass) this triggers a roll on a table that is limited to Asteroid, Dwarf planet, and Planet.  

The Star Determines the Planetary System Roll (how many significant planets can be detected).

Scales are fucked up - When a classification (like Planet, Dwarf Planet, Asteroid etc.) has magnitudes of 1000x different from the next class my brain get confused and cannot process differences of 1000x. So I tried to round off to the closest steps.  

I had to make IN-GAME terms for the sizes because I've simplified it by MASS because mass is the main driver for all of this. By this - how a Solar System is Formed and what determines planets in the Inner and Outer regions. Why Outer regions are exponentially farther out than Inner Planets. 

Note that MASS is the main metric of Ships, Trade, and Delta-V. I am simplifying it in a way that I can follow the science and since I do this part-time - I have to make it easy for me and people I will have to explain to by distilling it to the main factor. 

I'm considering using Heka (hundreds, E+2), Kilo (thousands, E+3), Mega (millions, E+6), Giga (Billions E+9), to scale the mass and transactions. Particularly in measuring Ships, Asteroids, Habitat, Bases and Stations. A helpful metric is remembering 1 ton of water fits in 1 cubic meter of volume, and that as densities go - it has a 1 ton/ m^3. And that scales as 1L of water is 1kg, or 1 ml of water is 1 gram. I love how metric scales easily and makes conversions easy. Especially when we scale up and scale down. Kg of micro meteors damaging kilotons of ship.  Like how cargo vessels are off in the Hundred Kilo Ton scale or Orbiters and shuttles are in the Heka to Kilo ton scale. 

Then consider distances, which are in the Astronomical units, and delta V which are in the m/s. These all scaling properly to avoid miscalculations. 

Condensing what I've learned about Solar System Formation

 On the table of Worlds: 

1) Terrestiral Worlds (0.1 to +7 Earth masses) is a 30% Chance

2) Dwarf Planets (0.1 to 7 Moon Masses) is a 24% Chance

3) Asteroids (01.1 to 7 Ceres Masses ) is a 16% Chance. 

When ever rolling a Giant (Ice Giants like Neptune or Uranus, Gas Planets, Hot saturns, Hot Jupiters etc...) this triggers a second roll for Terrestrial, Dwarf, or Asteroid. 

Habitat is Simplified in a Table for Dwarf and Terrestrial. the 2D6 table just gives types of words in these Category by their "habitability" Starting with their Position in the Solar System* to their 

*If rolling a Ice or Gas Planet which cannot be closer than the Freezing Line/Snow Line this alters the Host Planet - making it a Hot Saturn/Giant. 

Its fun to imagine the birth of a Solar System: Lighter Volatiles flying farther out Creating Gas and Ice Giants 40AU*Stellar Magnitude , while Heavier Elements and Metals staying Closer. Condensing into their respective planets the way a prospector uses the different masses to filter for gold on a river. 

Then random stuff happens - from Collisions, Captures, Ejections (accidental Gravity Slingshots) - Browning Motion scaled up to the size of Planets and the Time scales of Millenia to Millions, and  Billions of Years!   As well the Stellar Systems Passing Through Clouds cosmic Dust and Gaining mass, elements, and variances to their Relationships.   

Then imagining the TL6-TL9.0 Civilizations from TL7 (2000AD) Earth Economies Sizes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_world_product?wprov=sfti1 (0.01 to 100,000x 80Trillion USD GDP)

Ship Building Update - World Builder outline.

 progress update for an ORBITAL shipbuilding system: there needs to have some WORLDS to launch from and land into. Ill make this a Small paid booklet for Feb or March 2022. It will come with Blender Files for the Planet Building and Spreadsheets for speedy creation. 

Once the World Builder is set up - I can go back to the ships because the Star Ports and the Infra will depend on the Worlds. From TL6 Ports to TL8 Ports that's about probably 200 years of human tech development. I'll just throw in the world builder free with the Ship Builder Book. 

Tentative Outline

1. Step 1- Roll World Type 2d6 (Column) and Mass 2d6 (Row)

1. Around 7-8 different types worlds.

1. Gas Giant

2. Asteroid Group

3. Ice Planet

4. Terrestrial Planet. Assumes 0.1 earth masses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega-Earth, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super-Earth 

1. Ocean Planet

2. Dense Atmosphere Planet 

3. Terrestrial Planet

4. Note that Radius and Gravity will be determined after. The Planet Types (Density) + Mass determine a range of Radius and thus Gravity.

2. Step 3- Roll Habitability relative to humans.

1. roll 2d6 but check a table for habitability; gas giants are not included in this roll. 

2. World Types - a table of the habitable planets

3. Rows indicate level of habitability. 

1. First is the Habitable Zone. 0-5 is outlier of the habitable zone. 5+ is In the Habitable Zone. Some planets like Iceworlds cannot be in the habitable zone. 

2. This really measures the biosphere and will determine the Placement.

4. These can be 2-4 pages, each holding 2-3 columns.

3. Step 4 (2 rolls) - Roll for Stars. Classification 4d6-4 (0-20). Roll for Magnitude (Brightness). 

1. Type,  Stellar classification - Wikipedia spectral type (OB-AFGK-M). 0 for OB, and 20 for KM. 1-19 is spread out proportionally equally. 

2. Mass

3. and Absolute magnitude - Wikipedia

4. Tables of Outcomes. Class, Mass,

5. For Calculation: Magnitude (Energy Output determining the Habitable Zone, Snow Line).

4. Step 5 - Roll for additional Major Points of Interest.

1. the Mass of the Star determines how many points key points. With dwarf planets and planetoids barely being detected. Basically what TL7 and TL8 Sensors can detect jumping into this system. 

2. The closer to the median the more points of interest. 

5. Step 6. Rolling the other Worlds based on Point of Interest.  

1. You get a different table for World Type because this is not focused on habitability and being within the goldilocks zone. Circumstellar habitable zone - Wikipedia 

6. Step 7:  People Universal World Profile - Traveller 

1. Special infra Like Outposts, HQ, etc... (adds a TL 9 outpost)

2. Roll Technology Level. TL5+ (TL 5.1-9.2)

1. TL6 + (5d6/7 rounded) 

3. Roll Starport. 

4. Roll Population

5. Roll Gov’t and Law level.

6. Roll Economic Factors: Resources and Condition (Developing, Emerging, and Developed Status).

Drawbacks and Problems that will hopefully be Tackled in the Future.

1. More Accurate Planetary Description.
1. Planet's Age, History, and Notable aspects.
2.  
2. Sector and Subsector TABLE. Stars are the common population of a Sector or Subsector, the Promiximty of a Sector to a Dark-matter, Giant/Hyperstar, Black hole, etc... all influence a sector and would be great world-building - but unnecessary.
3. City/Community Builder is needed. Additional Details.
4. Ideally, a Blender Workflow to make Planets Procedurally

Spreadsheets and Blender files is a weird add on to TRPG books. It assumes the GM can use it or knows someone (freelancer or player) who can use it to make more detailed materials. The spreadsheet though if it can make the process faster is always good. If the GM just opens the sheet and can start making Content with it, that's great for the GM and the Game.

Working on a QUick Chapter 12 update for a Ship Building

Challenges is I dont need to improve the World Generation by Much. Chapter 12 of CE improvements I need to make are the following:

1) World Types - roll for the World Type  (2D6-2)

Terrestrial (Silica/Rock worlds), Ocean/Ice (Not to be confused with Ocean covered, where liquids make up the mantle), Gass Dwarves/Giants,  and Rare world on a 1/36 (not representative of rare worlds). 

In billions of years gravity makes stuff into a sphere, the densest elements sink to the center, 

The basic Write up for each world type and its role in the Economy and what it would be like on the surface - a if this is the PRIMARY world then it tends to be for X purpose. Gas Giants as a primary world is for its gas mining, Ice worlds are for the frozen volatiles it keeps, Desert worlds its relative habitability if its atmosphere is near 1atm, etc.... 

IMPACT on ORBITAL launches and landings. ICE worlds, Gas Giants/Dwarves, Terrestrial Worlds, etc... 

 

2) Roll for the Size of the World - this determines the radius, gravity, and significance in the system. That MASS is the major driver for a system. Mass determines how much of the orbit is clear of asteroids, how massive the planet has become, the complexity of planets composition, the  asteroids it intercepts, etc... gravity reminds me of Like-to-Like magic. 

3) Human Habitability determiens how much infra exists in the World already if the world is naturally inhospitable or how far from earth like it is if there is within the same terrestrial category. 

Write up for Habitability per World Type as well as the provisions and infra needed. 

no more hydrography, nor atmospherics, type and mass kinda determines these early on. 

Stuff I couldnt fit in: 

1) Stellar Mass and Type. this determines the orbits, goldilox zones, the distance of Gas giants, total mass of asteroid zones. 

2) More detailed world building beyond Mass, Type, and Habitability. I'm making this for the ORBITAL aspect of the Shipbuilding booklet. Its necessary that all the planets that are DIFFERENT are different. 

SCOPE AKA WORK

1) the write up of the planets 20 hours. key details being "What do PCs encounter in this world" not just the Mono Climate zones of earth. 

2) A spreadsheet that calculates the Radius based on the Density of a Planet type. Earth is pretty dense at 5.5 metric tons per cubic meter = 5.5g/cm^3 (benchmarks are <1 for gasses, water is 1, 2-4 for rocks/silica, 7 for iron, T/mT) . estimate is 20 hours.

On hiatus because of the many end of the year work wrap up. Hope to resume after Jan 8 2022. 

2-3 hour games: Players help each other and the GM

This is a part of an ongoing reflection of running games when you have very little time left because of real life. 

Games are primarily a conversation, particularly the player narrating something that engages them strongly. Placing their character in a situation they are strongly conflicted about: it is not just something they like but something where their character has stakes and but their character's personality (人物性格）and history/background (来历). 

This means that in a 2 hour session, the GM has to set up something that will get the Player to engage and narrate. 

If you've tried to control meetings and realize topics tend to be uncontrollable in scope. Meetings with substance that cannot fit in an email are 1.5-2 hours long.  We talk about concepts as dense as world-building and character history and motivation in most Biz Analysis meetings. 

So how do we prepare for such games? Again the principle of a PLAN tells us if we are need to change what we are doing means we write down the inputs, actions/processes, and outcomes we intend.  So we write down our plan for each player and ideally arrange that in a MAP or Diagram. 

On the diagram we map the 3 phases of the adventure (expectations/set up, the conflict/violation of expectation, and the outcomes that pay-off the players). 

A box/process (in chinese process can be translated as 经验，经过，to go through is easily confused with the concept of experience) we name this our PCs/Players and place them working backwards from their outcome to conflict and what input or expectations will trigger a particular experience in the player. 

 Keeping it Simple. 

Just write the Hook or the Outcomes for the Players and their Characters. Someone wants to feel heroic and tough, someone who wants to feel smart, someone who wants to feel charming, etc... know what each player wants to feel to get them into the adventure. 

Then helping them get there. This doesnt have to JUST be the GM - get the players to psycho-analyze each other, this also helps the GM by making the players already know some of the plan to get another players pay-off and helping it along. The Players all help each other get to their character's pay off, not just the GM. 

GMing with a strong improvisation and trying to buy in a PLAYER is a lot of emotional labor, the GM has to arrange it that other Players help in the emotional labor. It is incredibly wasteful (inefficient) when the GM buys in each player - like he or she is performing some service - its the group and all the other players playing along and getting everyones characters into position AS well as helping the GM pivot or improvise when the conditions change.   

Lets not just have fun, lets help each other figure out how to have fun. 

Specific Actions: 

1. Give the GM feedback on their observations what would make another Player enjoy the game. 
2. Give the GM options how a scene will play out and its consequences that push the story towards the GMs intent. 
3. Perform Actions that help other Characters enjoy the game more: ask them for aid, give the Character a reason to help or participate. 
4. Tailor a scene or situation (framing) it favorably to the target player. 
5. its ok to be transparent that the GM is trying to get them to THIS conflict or scene, how we get there. 
6. Hangout just preparing for the game, earlier or after session to help make the future games better.