Logistics #

Time & Money #

Play proceeds in one-week turns. It takes one week to make a gate core jump between adjacent star systems. It takes one week to perform a significant action while in port.

One month is four weeks, and one year is 12 months. The referee keeps a calendar of the current week, month, and year of the campaign.

Tracking of time may become more granular. Zoom in on a particular moment in time to resolve an action or encounter, or for an extended period for a detailed adventure. If you need to determine on which day of the week an event occurs, roll 1d6 + 1.

One Commonwealth Credit (cc) is enough money for basic food and lodging in port for one week. Costs of less than 1 credit can be safely ignored and are assumed to be included in lifestyle spending.

Ports & Settlements #

Worlds with a Technology characteristic of 3 or higher have a dedicated starport. At Technology 5 or higher, the port may be an orbiting highport, a city in its own right dedicated to interstellar travel and trade. On worlds with Technology 2 or lower, only rudimentary landing areas and basic services are available.

Port Arrival #

When the PCs arrive in a port, take these steps.

1. If docking a ship, the PCs pay a 2cc docking fee. This includes up to one week of berthing and basic maintenance.
2. Check for an authority encounter. Throw 2d6 and add the world’s Authority. On a 12+, a group of 1d6+1 local law enforcement personnel accosts one or more of the PCs at the least convenient time, including during the following week if the players stay in port. They request identification, cargo manifests, and other documentation. If the PC’s are not up to anything illegal, these encounters are usually routine. However, a negative reaction roll may result in mistaken identities, overreach, or harassment. Officers are equipped with light armor and weapons appropriate to the Tech rank of the world.
3. Sell any trade goods, if desired.
4. Purchase trade goods, if desired.
5. Leave port and continue traveling, if desired and if the PCs have access to a starship.

Weekly Port Turn #

1. For each week after the first, if berthing a ship, the PCs pay a 1cc berthing fee.
2. Each PC pays for their lifestyle costs: 1cc for basic, 5cc for comfortable, 10cc for luxury.
3. For each week after the first, check for an authority encounter, as above. The encounter may occur at any point during the week.
4. Check for a port encounter. An encounter occurs on a 1d6 roll of 1-3. Roll on the port encounters table. The encounter may occur at any point during the week.
5. Commission any starship repairs.
6. Each PC may perform one of the following tasks for the duration of the week:
   • Find a patron or opportunity
   • Gather information
   • Find a person or specialist
   • Receive medical care
   • Train a skill
   • Another appropriate activity
7. Purchase trade goods, if desired.
8. Book passage on a ship, if desired. See Interstellar Travel.
9. The PCs recover luck based on their lifestyle spending.
   • Basic: 1d3 Luck
   • Comfortable: 1d6 Luck
   • Luxury: 2d6 Luck
10. The referee updates the campaign calendar by one week.

Starship Repair Costs and Duration #

• 1 credit per rating of each damaged component (e.g. it costs 2 credits to repair Guns 2). All damaged components are repaired in one week.

• Per disabled component: 5 x rating in credits, 1 week per disabled component

• Damaged gate core: 20 credits. + 1 week

• Disabled gate core: 50 credits, + 2 weeks

Finding a Patron #

PCs may throw 8+ to hear about an opportunity or meet a patron. A patron is any NPC interested in hiring the PCs for a job.

Opportunities can be anything from rumors about derelict ships to wealthy patrons willing to pay for a dangerous task. Multiple PCs may make the throw each week to increase their chances of finding an opportunity. Appropriate skills, such as Rumor Monger, can be applied to this throw. The referee can use the tables in People & Opportunities to create an opportunity on the fly, if needed.

Opportunities need not be local to the current world, the PCs may get information about an opportunity elsewhere.

Finding People #

A PC can throw 8+ to seek out a specific NPC or a type of person, including specialist professionals, additional crew, and buyers or sellers of illegal goods. Throw with Disadvantage if the local Population is 1-2, and Advantage if it is 5-6. The referee may impose additional situational bonuses or penalties. For example, when searching for an antigrav technician on a low-tech world.

When hiring for a specific skill, a found NPC’s Skill rank is 3 or the Impact of the throw, whichever is lower.

Hired NPCs will, at a minimum, expect their Skill rank squared in credits each week. For very unusual or dangerous tasks, they may demand as much as triple.

Healing & Recovery #

At the end of each week in port, PCs regain luck, up to their maximum. Restored luck is dependent on lifestyle: Recover 1 luck for a basic lifestyle, 1d6 luck for a comfortable lifestyle, and 2d6 for a luxury lifestyle. If a character used any luck this week, they do not recover luck.

Minor wounds heal on their own after a week, during which the PC may engage in other activities. Serious wounds require medical care to heal. While being treated for a serious wound, a PC is unable to engage in activities in port or strenuous adventures.

Most worlds do not provide free care to offworlders. Care cost and healing times for serious wounds are based on the local Tech rank:

Tech 1-2: 1 month, 1cc

Tech 2-4: 2 weeks, 3cc

Tech 5: 1 week, 5cc

Tech 6: 1 day, 8cc. The PC may heal early in a week and still engage in a port activity, and even recover Luck this week.