New: Away Team; Planetside Expansion

[Xavier]

The initial release of the Character Creation document was very much focused around the skills of a bridge crew. With the recent mission landing a team on an alien planet to investigate and collect specimens, it occurred to me that there was a problem with a lack of “skills” the characters could draw on. As a result, I have created this “Planetside” expansion. It covers modules specific to exploring a new planet, as well as equipment used, from the shuttle itself to equipment like the atmospheric monitoring station.

The document linked below is the Planetside Expansion, and is a first draft. I have included details of 6 new modules that can be added to a character’s data sheet, as well as how to select the level of expertise for each module. After initial selection, levelling up will be as normal.

In terms of the modules in the expansion, I have tried to add ones that complement the original modules, rather than cause any overlap. Of course, some of the new modules have more scope than just being used for a planetary exploration. As a result, I may tweak some so they count as “Double” modules, increasing the number of modules an officer can select accordingly.

The equipment details I think are most key and will likely be expanded on as we complete more missions. In the future, these could be added to a larger document, e.g. an updated version of the Player’s Toolbox.

Take a look below and add comments.

Away Team: Planetside

[Blaze Strife]

Survival training seems a bit too wide. Especially the part about edible plants on a new world. It’s hard to learn about edible plants around planet Earth, let alone the other planets.

What about interacting with other civilizations on the planets, both known and unkown?

I recommend adding two skills.

The first one should be Meteorology or Climatology, the studies of weather and climate. That would even be useful on our last mission, but I think it can be used even on approach to planets.

The other one is either Archeology (study of ancient civilizations), Paleontology (study of fossils), or Anthropology (science of evolution). I think the skill we use should cover all three areas.

[Xavier]

Great feedback and ideas! Survival training was something I stuggled to define as it needed to be broad enough to cover survival, but not so broad it covered everything. The edible plant part I suppose was more about finding food. Different environments have different food available, but a survival specialist on earth at least has an idea of one or two to draw on in the worst situations. This was what I was going for.

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