Play By Web : Starfury!

[geoschmo]

Slynky said:
If I understand it, then someone has to be the "dungeon master", right?

Yes. That'd be me in this case. It sounds like a lot of work, and it defenitly is more work then the average hosting job. But I have some ideas on how to streamline things so that it shouldn't be any more work then the average PBW game would be for me if I was a player. And perhaps it might even be less since mostly it will be communicating with the players. Won't have to worry much about building an empire in the conventional sense, and not going to have humungous fleets to manage.

[Slynky]

I suppose I'm asking dumb questions , but how would a person get paid? And would it be full-tech or some way to research stuff?

[geoschmo]

Wouldn't be any need for research I don't think. The normal game you research so you can get better tech to put on your ships. In this case you progress to better tech and better ships by earning resources other ways and then buying the tech you want. I'll probably make it high tech just to make things easier on my self as game host, but you won't have access to the high tech stuff right off the bat. Even if you had the tech you couldn't build or afford it.

You'd get paid by the Imperium when you completed the task for which you agreed to perform. Specifics would depend on the job, but it would be either a gift or a trade of some kind.

I'm also thinking some sort of general trade goods could be fudged which could be bought and sold anywhere, but at different prices in different places. Think of pretty much any of your typical space trader games. I'd be doing that part manually for the most part, but with some sort of spreadsheet I think I can make it fairly painless on my end.

A lot of out of game email communication would happen during turns with the actual swaps going on through the in-game siplomacy screens. Actually I could keep a lot of the money changing out of game entirely, some sort of galactic bank account. You'd just withdraw enough each turn to keep your in game operating expenses where you need them.

Admitadly that's the least developed part of the idea at this point.

Geoschmo

[geoschmo]

Ok, well we've got a few people signed up already. Something I've noticed, a lot of have chosen names that appear to be ship names. That's ok, you can name your "empire" whatever you want, and your PBW player name doesn't even have to match your actual player name in game. Remeber though that through the course of the game you will probably have more then one ship. Often more then one at a time, at the least you'll go through susecsive ships as you advance. Of course you can always name your ships USS Enterprise if you want, but if you use different names through the game it's might be confusing if your "empire" name in game is USS Enterprise.

You could use a company name if you want too role play some sort of trade guild. Or the name of your main character maybe. It's up to you. Whatever you choose we'll all be able to sort it out I'm sure.

[Ryan]

I decided to have my "empire" be my "emperor's" leader ship name, I'll probably have support craft, or stuff.
[insert shruging motion here]

[Slynky]

OK, I'll give it a go.

(Yes, I know I have no imagination )

[FLX]

I think we should start with nothing, if posible, (or something that can self destruct if not) and the DM could "gift" each of us with our ship, then, we only have that ship, with no need of researching any tech.

[bearclaw]

Shadowstar has created a wonderful experiance called StarScape. In that game, he acts as a GM and has developed some very impressive ways of handling Game Master issues during a game. I'm sure he'd have oodles of suggestions and comments on GM'ing a Starfury game.

In fact, that gives me an idea for a suggestion for SEV...
(heads off the to SEV suggestion post...)

[Fyron]

Will our ships have extra supplies or more efficient engines? You can not explore very much of the galaxy with starting supply levels...

[Slynky]

Imperator Fyron said:
Will our ships have extra supplies or more efficient engines? You can not explore very much of the galaxy with starting supply levels...

Maybe he intends on us being on friendly terms with the "imperium" (he said something about being able to refuel below) .