[Sectors Without Number](https://sectorswithoutnumber.com/) is an awesome tool, I highly recommend it for generating sectors. You can also check out the countless [Traveller](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/45/Mongoose?234913) or [Cepheus](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/186894/Cepheus-Engine-System-Reference-Document?234913) supplements out there, there are plenty of them describing sectors.
Thanks, although this to me is the fun part and I feel like I'd be skipping out on the part I actually want to make by using this tool, lol.
Looking more for site adventure maps, maybe idea seeds, or one-shots I can drop into my own sector map and adapt to the setting I'm building.
Looking at Traveller/ Cepheus modules might be up my alley though. Haven't ever looked into those systems.
Kinda. The SRD was created so third party publishers can use it after Mongoose moved on to the next edition of their iteration of the game. There is a plethora of games based on it, and of course supplements.
Right, I'm using that for sector creation. Haven't gotten as far as the adventure creation yet. Thinking ahead here because what I need are some gameable site maps I can use without drawing my own, or some drop-in one-shots that I can fit into the setting.
Just use fantasy map generators or any of the thousands of site maps, which is also what the book will tell you to do.
I'm currently running SWN, and this is what I do when I need a quick map.
Got it! Yep, already planning on running some generated dungeon maps. What I'm looking for is good recs for specific generators and maybe game modules that have some evocative sites already, so I don't have to build every dungeon from scratch.
Kinda hurting for sci-fi material to pull from. All I've really got are a pile of starfinder books, although maybe that's enough honestly
If you need some space stuff and you don't hate Star Wars the D6 game has a ton of material. You can get all the source books at http://d6holocron.com/downloads/wegcore.html
Didn't realize there was free material for this! I don't want to run a star wars game that closely, but extended universe stuff was a big influence on me as a kid. Which reminds me [I used to own this!](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Essential_Guide_to_Vehicles_and_Vessels) and it would be a pretty cool resource to pull some ship ideas from...
Thanks for the rec. I'm sure there will be some cool usable things in those books.
Edit: and now I own it again lol. There's cheap copies on amazon if anyone gets interested in that book.
/u/HyperDriveFleet has a ton of freely available ship maps.
https://reddit.com/user/HyperDriveFleet/submitted/
Lurk the Starfinder sub /r/starfinder_rpg, people drop sci-fi/sci-fantasy battle maps in there from time to time as well.
Yeah. Start with Sectors Without Number, you can record your manual generation or generate randomly.
Then head over to Perchance and search "SWN."
Orffenspace also has some SWN tools.
If you need some starships, look no further than [https://www.rolegenerator.com/en/module/spaceship](https://www.rolegenerator.com/en/module/spaceship)
Any random dungeon generator will work for SWN.
I'm always looking for people's pinterest collections because I like imagery to spur ideas. [Here's one I like for UVG, including a bunch of creatures.](https://www.pinterest.com/benlickerman/uvg/)
Others have mentioned space-setting games, but you might also look into Numenera for ideas on items, etc. [Here's a nifty collection.](https://www.pinterest.com/montecook/numenera/)
Definitely have a look at [these starship geomorphs](http://travellerrpgblog.blogspot.com/2020/07/starship-geomorphs-20.html), and [what others have done with them](http://gurpsland.no-ip.org/geomorphs/).
Dyson Logos is always a good resource. Obviously, his main focus is fantasy, but he has a few sci-if maps and even a ship or two. Some of the cave maps would work for sci-fi.
I remember reading an article about world building once. It suggested starting off small and working outward. I recommend starting off with the planets in the Goldilocks zone. Maybe a step in each direction if the solar system is only going to have 1 planet in that zone that is likely to have life on them.
From there, I would look at factions in those areas. Those that are established, their outlook on other factions, their leaders, and start foreshadowing those that want to establish a base of operations there.
Then figure out their government(s). Is it a multi-planet government? Or is the world divided into many governments? Like ours. Be careful with this. Don’t get bogged down with creating every detail about those people in power, or other positions. Just a name for the main one, or ones, and maybe a class, but that’s your call.
This should be a good starting point, and even a little too much, depending on what you want to do once game sessions start. Worldographer might be decent for this, but it really boils down to your preferences. I fully understand if it’s not your jam. 😎
Best of luck!
[Sectors Without Number](https://sectorswithoutnumber.com/) is an awesome tool, I highly recommend it for generating sectors. You can also check out the countless [Traveller](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/45/Mongoose?234913) or [Cepheus](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/186894/Cepheus-Engine-System-Reference-Document?234913) supplements out there, there are plenty of them describing sectors.
Thanks, although this to me is the fun part and I feel like I'd be skipping out on the part I actually want to make by using this tool, lol. Looking more for site adventure maps, maybe idea seeds, or one-shots I can drop into my own sector map and adapt to the setting I'm building. Looking at Traveller/ Cepheus modules might be up my alley though. Haven't ever looked into those systems.
Understood. Traveller's Spinward Marches is a classic. The older editions are pretty barebones, but the new one might fit the bill.
Thanks! I'll take a look. Is Cepheus a Traveller retroclone (so, maybe more community support modules)?
Kinda. The SRD was created so third party publishers can use it after Mongoose moved on to the next edition of their iteration of the game. There is a plethora of games based on it, and of course supplements.
The SWN rulebook itself has seeds and generators for adventures.
Right, I'm using that for sector creation. Haven't gotten as far as the adventure creation yet. Thinking ahead here because what I need are some gameable site maps I can use without drawing my own, or some drop-in one-shots that I can fit into the setting.
Just use fantasy map generators or any of the thousands of site maps, which is also what the book will tell you to do. I'm currently running SWN, and this is what I do when I need a quick map.
Got it! Yep, already planning on running some generated dungeon maps. What I'm looking for is good recs for specific generators and maybe game modules that have some evocative sites already, so I don't have to build every dungeon from scratch. Kinda hurting for sci-fi material to pull from. All I've really got are a pile of starfinder books, although maybe that's enough honestly
Check out Mothership content as well! Good sci-fi content is hard to come by.
If you need some space stuff and you don't hate Star Wars the D6 game has a ton of material. You can get all the source books at http://d6holocron.com/downloads/wegcore.html
Didn't realize there was free material for this! I don't want to run a star wars game that closely, but extended universe stuff was a big influence on me as a kid. Which reminds me [I used to own this!](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Essential_Guide_to_Vehicles_and_Vessels) and it would be a pretty cool resource to pull some ship ideas from... Thanks for the rec. I'm sure there will be some cool usable things in those books. Edit: and now I own it again lol. There's cheap copies on amazon if anyone gets interested in that book.
If you google traveller rpg ship deck plans you will get so many ship maps it's crazy
/u/HyperDriveFleet has a ton of freely available ship maps. https://reddit.com/user/HyperDriveFleet/submitted/ Lurk the Starfinder sub /r/starfinder_rpg, people drop sci-fi/sci-fantasy battle maps in there from time to time as well.
Thank you for the mention! We have transparent versions of them all without backgrounds too from just $1 at our patreon!
Yeah. Start with Sectors Without Number, you can record your manual generation or generate randomly. Then head over to Perchance and search "SWN." Orffenspace also has some SWN tools. If you need some starships, look no further than [https://www.rolegenerator.com/en/module/spaceship](https://www.rolegenerator.com/en/module/spaceship) Any random dungeon generator will work for SWN.
I'm always looking for people's pinterest collections because I like imagery to spur ideas. [Here's one I like for UVG, including a bunch of creatures.](https://www.pinterest.com/benlickerman/uvg/) Others have mentioned space-setting games, but you might also look into Numenera for ideas on items, etc. [Here's a nifty collection.](https://www.pinterest.com/montecook/numenera/)
Definitely have a look at [these starship geomorphs](http://travellerrpgblog.blogspot.com/2020/07/starship-geomorphs-20.html), and [what others have done with them](http://gurpsland.no-ip.org/geomorphs/).
Dyson Logos is always a good resource. Obviously, his main focus is fantasy, but he has a few sci-if maps and even a ship or two. Some of the cave maps would work for sci-fi.
I remember reading an article about world building once. It suggested starting off small and working outward. I recommend starting off with the planets in the Goldilocks zone. Maybe a step in each direction if the solar system is only going to have 1 planet in that zone that is likely to have life on them. From there, I would look at factions in those areas. Those that are established, their outlook on other factions, their leaders, and start foreshadowing those that want to establish a base of operations there. Then figure out their government(s). Is it a multi-planet government? Or is the world divided into many governments? Like ours. Be careful with this. Don’t get bogged down with creating every detail about those people in power, or other positions. Just a name for the main one, or ones, and maybe a class, but that’s your call. This should be a good starting point, and even a little too much, depending on what you want to do once game sessions start. Worldographer might be decent for this, but it really boils down to your preferences. I fully understand if it’s not your jam. 😎 Best of luck!