Cassiopeia: Space flight

Ships and space flight

Space, the final frontier. At least that is how the saying goes. In Cassiopeia it is more like the first frontier. Humanity is rediscovering old secrets, techonlogy and conflicts. The players are at the front of this journey of discovery and will need a ship to traverse the cold darkness of space.

But how will it work I hear you cry. Worry not fellow conquistadores, I shall tell you what you need to know.

Space is massive and there are no warp drives or light speed engines in Cassiopeia. Travellers are instead dependant on giant tunnel gates that link sections of space together. Humanity have lost the capacity to create these gates and those that remain are highly guarded and regulated. Finding and activating a gate is something many dream about since great riches could be found on the other side. In reality opening a new gate is always extremely dangerous, not only because of what might exist on the other side but also because every other fortune seeker and military force in the known regions will fight over possessing it.

Ships fulfill many different purposes in Cassiopeia. From trading to transportation to fighting. As such there is a myriad of ships available. They do have a few things in common though:

• They are based on real world 15th and 16th century ships. That means Carracks, Galleons, Cogs, Colliers and Pinques to name a few.
• All ships require a crew of at least two persons to operate. There are no massive fleets of fighters in Cassiopeia. Broadsides, massive battleships and boarding actions is the latest fashion.
• Ships sail on solar winds. But there are no open decks, that would be suicidal!

This is what I am going for. With a more spacey twist of course.
Source.

On to mechanics.

Each ship has a number of attributes:

• Speed rating between 1 and 10 indicating how fast the ship is.
• Maneuverability rating between 1 and 10 indicating how nimble the ship is.
• Hull rating indicating how sturdy the hull is.
• Hardpoints showing my many different components can be installed on the ship.
• Vogue indicating how fashionable and visually impressive the ship is.

Different components include but is not limited to:

• Guns
• Shields
• Engines
• Crew quarters
• Storage

Certain ship classes are more adaptable than others and as such they contain more free hardpoints than more specialized ships. Specialized ships usually have more efficient configurations though.

A ship serves as a home away from home and as such adventurers are encouraged to customize it, adapt it and generally make it more cozy. This is done via the workshop mechanics which I will elaborate on in a later post. I am putting plenty of though into how I can give ships personality and life, making them a part of the adventuring party.

If two ships are engaged in combat they are locked in that combat until one party is defeated or manages to escape. It is only possible to escape if you are faster than your opponent. It is also preferable to outmaneuver your opponent before running away or he will get to fire at you while you break away.

Ships are not just for battle though. The vogue value ensures that a diplomat will want to have a visually impressive ship to gain bonuses to any negotiations that take place in the ships. Traders or adventurers that expect to haul lots of cargo will want more cargo space. Ultimately it is up to the players to decide what kind of game they want to play, their ship will reflect that choice.

Ships do not require fuel to run but do need other supplies in the form of ammunition, food, water and spare parts. Adventurers are away during long periods of time since they usually do not travel via gates. There are two methods for adventurers to land their ships on a celestial body:

1. They land in water or another soft substance. All ships in Cassiopeia can sail inside atmospheres. 
2. Launch drop pods and come pick them up later.

This is a short introduction to ships in Cassiopeia. Hopefully this answers any preliminary questions you might have. Now go get your pack, polish sabers and load the muscets. New undiscovered worlds await!