So, I've got a bit of a game in mind that is designed to be a game in space, where players can design their ships from the ground up, with some basic necessities (like ships need hulls, engines, electronics, etc).

Game has plenty of room for both PVE and PVP scenario's, with players encouraged to work in groups to establish their own star nations, based on whether they want trade, war, manufacturing, etc.


I have most things worked out already (such as basic resources, ship components, trade goods, etc) but want to know how much interest this concept has in play. It is very similar in some aspects to EVE, but there will be a lot of differences as well, starting with the fact that this isn't a P2P game.

That sounds interesting.

What do you mean specifically by 'not a P2P game' in this context?

In reply to Knarfy (msg # 2):

Not a Pay to Play. (Obviously, since it's online here rather than at EVE Online.)
 But I'm trying to make this a lot more of the feel of a true sandbox. There will be some researches and such, but for the most part it will be a game where players have to build up their own stuff.

There will be some NPC Star nations, and players will be able to interact both positively and negatively with those, with trade, war, etc.

Fair enough.

What kind of system are you looking at? Personally, I feel like something like this would need to either be mostly freeform or highly structured rather than something in the middle.

In reply to Knarfy (msg # 4):

I am looking at a d20 based system for the random things ( attack rolls, skill implimentation, etc), but for the most part it's a fairly free game within certain parameters.
For example, if I want to attack an enemy, I'll have to be within a certain distance of the enemy held region (or within the same region), and determining if I am within range is based upon the size of the ships being sent, how many engines they have, etc.

But, what players want to do, that is up to the players, which is why I mentioned Eve. Things like manufacturing things is something players can (and I encourage) do, whether that's ship components or ships themselves. Mining, ship fighting, etc is all things that players can do, and while players CAN buy the same things from NPC's it's something that as the game progressed and players advance they can do for themselves. Should they desire to do so.

Try Stars Without Number as a basis if you want to go d20.  It even has rules for constructing ships and starship combat (though I've never tested them).

Very simple ship rules, can be complex campaign rules? Try Starfire.

The starship combat in SWN is ok. Though I think it is particularly well suited to PbP.

As I recall, it mostly revolves around a blind choice of what 'phase' to attack or defend in, where you try to fire your weapons on the same phase as your target while keeping your ship out of phase with their weapons fire. (phases in this context being dimensional phases)

That's not a bad suggestion though. It also has supplements detailing broad-scope Ground war, Spacy Navy, and mercantile elements in Starvation Cheap, Skyward Steel, and Suns of Gold.

In reply to darknash (msg # 7):

I tried to look up star fire. All I got were comic book references.

Interested

Starfire actually looks pretty interesting:

http://www.starfiredesign.com/starfire/

Some of the split-turn activation in the tactical rules would certainly need to be changed for PbP, or a single turn would take months, but I like the shipbuilding.

In reply to swordchucks (msg # 6):

Stars without Number does seem to be a very interesting idea, though It is a bit more individual character intensive (on some things) than the game I'm thinking of is really shaping up in my head.
However, if someone wanted to Co-GM or be an active assistant for something like this, then I'd be happy to have the help. To be quite frank, the things that I have been talking about are things from a game I have been working up for scratch. Literally everything being a new system. So if someone has experience with one of these systems, I'd be more than willing to learn.

Working up system's from scratch is certainly another option. I would be interested to see what you've come up with.

In reply to Knarfy (msg # 13):

Mind if I mail it to you?

Sure, shoot it to me in an rMail.

In reply to Knarfy (msg # 11):

Thank you Knarfy, pulling things off the top of my head at work with no time to look it up.

Interested