How to Build a Starship in Ken St. Andre’s Starfaring: Mechanics & Minds
In the universe of Starfaring, a starship isn't just a vehicle; it's a living entity, a complex blend of advanced technology and bionic integration. Unlike modern games with simplified "build points," Starfaring treats ship construction as a major financial and philosophical investment. Here’s a breakdown of the core mechanics and descriptions of building your own vessel.
1. The Hull and the "Bion" Capacity
The first step in construction is determining the ship's base size and crew capacity. Everything is measured in Bions.
What is a Bion? A Bion represents the standard unit of life support—the energy, fresh air, water recycling, and roughly 2,000 cubic feet of living space required to comfortably maintain one human for an extended period in deep space.
Determining Size & Cost: You decide how many Bions your ship needs to accommodate its crew, passengers, and cargo. This Bion count directly scales the base hull cost. Larger ships (more Bions) cost significantly more.
Example: A small scout might be 5 Bions, while a freighter could be 50 Bions.
2. Choosing the "Brain": The Heart of the Ship
This is arguably the most critical and unique decision in Starfaring. Starships aren't just flown by computers; they require a fully integrated Bionic Ship's Brain.
The "Shell People": You must acquire a "Shell Person"—a human whose brain has been surgically and permanently encased in a life-support canister, specifically designed to interface with the ship's systems. This individual becomes the ship's central processing unit, its soul.
Brain Stats: The chosen "Brain" brings its own personal Mentality and Psionic ratings to the ship.
Mentality: A high Mentality brain makes for a smarter, more efficient ship, improving navigation, sensor analysis, and general system responsiveness.
Psionic Rating: A high Psionic rating is absolutely essential. It allows the ship (through the Brain's precognitive abilities) to accurately predict enemy movements for combat (due to light lag) and navigate the treacherous, mind-bending hazards of Subspace. Without a strong Psionic Brain, your ship is a sitting duck and a death trap.
3. Powering Up: Star Crystals and the Drive
Your magnificent hull and brilliant brain are useless without a means of propulsion. This requires specialized Star Crystals.
The Crystal Trio: You must purchase and properly tune a set of Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu crystals. These are not merely fuel; they are the highly volatile, sensitive components that power your ship's faster-than-light (FTL) Subspace Drive.
Tuning & Volatility: Star Crystals must be precisely "tuned" to your ship's unique energy frequency. If they "detune" during a voyage (a common risk from combat, asteroid fields, or Subspace anomalies), your FTL drive fails. This can leave you stranded in normal space—millions of light-years from home—or, in worst-case scenarios, result in a catastrophic explosion.
4. Shields and Armament: Combat Readiness
Because of the vast distances and the inherent "Light Lag" in space combat, your ship's offensive and defensive capabilities are intrinsically linked to its Psionic abilities.
Energy Shields: Invest in powerful energy accumulators to generate your defensive screens. Unlike some alien shield technologies (like the ablative Slish shields), human energy shields in Starfaring can often be "recharged" during combat, but they are expensive and can fail under heavy assault.
Weapon Rating (Lasers & Missiles): Determine your ship's Weapon Rating. This rating, combined with the Ship's Brain's Psionic ability, dictates your chance to hit. Remember: lasers travel at light speed, so to hit a moving target, your Psionic Ship's Brain (or a Psionic gunner) must use precognition to "foretell" where the enemy ship will be when your beam arrives. Without a strong psionic element, combat is a blind gamble.
5. The Financial Burden: Debt in the Void
Building a starship is rarely done without significant external funding.
Mega-Corporation Loans: Most players start the game deep in debt, having taken a massive loan from a planetary government or a powerful mega-corporation.
The Repayment Cycle: Standard contracts typically demand that at least half the enormous loan be paid off within three successful missions. This mechanic is a core driver of the gameplay. You aren't just exploring for scientific curiosity; you're exploring, trading, and taking on dangerous contracts to keep your ship from being repossessed—often by the same entity that financed it! This high-stakes pressure defines the career of a Starfaring explorer.
THE STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION MANUAL (1976)
In Starfaring, building a ship is a balancing act between your bank account and your survival. Here is the mechanical breakdown of how to build your vessel.
1. The Hull: Capacity and Cost
The ship's size is determined by its Bion capacity.
Cost per Bion: 10,000 Energy Standards (E.S.)
Weight per Bion: 10 Tons.
Function: Each Bion provides life support for 1 human. You must have at least as many Bions as you have crew and passengers.
2. The Drive: Star Crystals
You cannot enter Subspace without the "Trinity" of crystals.
Brahma Crystal: 50,000 E.S. (The Power Source)
Shiva Crystal: 50,000 E.S. (The Navigator)
Vishnu Crystal: 50,000 E.S. (The Stabilizer)
Crystal Tuning: Roll 2d6. If the result is higher than the Ship's Brain's Mentality, the crystals are "Out of Tune" and the ship cannot jump until recalibrated (which costs 5,000 E.S. per attempt).
3. The Ship’s Brain (The Bionic Interface)
You must choose a brain to run the ship. Its stats become the ship's stats.
| Brain Type | Cost | Mentality (IQ) | Psionic Rating |
| Standard Shell | 20,000 E.S. | 10 | 10 |
| Advanced Shell | 50,000 E.S. | 15 | 15 |
| Master Shell | 100,000 E.S. | 20 | 25 |
4. Defense: Energy Accumulators (Shields)
Shields are rated by how much energy they can absorb before collapsing.
Cost: 1,000 E.S. per 10 Points of Shield Strength.
Max Capacity: A ship cannot have more Shield Strength than [Mentality x 10].
5. Offense: Laser Weaponry
Weapons are purchased in "Rating" units.
Cost: 5,000 E.S. per 1 Weapon Rating.
Combat Roll: To hit an enemy, roll 2d6.
Formula: [Roll + Psionic Rating] vs. [Enemy Speed + Distance].
If your total is higher, you hit. Damage equals your Weapon Rating.
6. The Launch Requirements
Before your ship can leave Space Dock, you must pay for:
Fuel (Energy Standards): 100 E.S. per Parsec of planned travel.
Crew Salary: 500 E.S. per crew member (standard advance).
Example Construction: "The Shreveport Scout"
5 Bions (Capacity for 5): 50,000 E.S.
The Trinity Crystals: 150,000 E.S.
Advanced Shell Brain: 50,000 E.S.
100 Point Shields: 10,000 E.S.
Weapon Rating 5: 25,000 E.S.
TOTAL COST: 285,000 Energy Standards.
Constructing the Heavens: Building a Planetary System
In Starfaring, every star is a roll of the dice away from being a barren wasteland or a thriving solar empire. To build a system, a Galaxy Master (G.M.) follows a strict sequence of generation.
1. Determining the Number of Planets
The size and heat of a star dictate how much material it likely captured during its formation.
Rule: For each star system, roll a set of D6s based on the star's Spectral Class.
| Star Type | Number of D6 to roll for Planets |
| O (Blue-White) | 7 Dice |
| B | 6 Dice |
| A | 5 Dice |
| F | 4 Dice |
| G (Sun-like) | 3 Dice |
| K | 2 Dice |
| M (Red Dwarf) | 1 Die |
2. Identifying the Worlds
Once you know the number of planets, roll 1 Die for each one to determine its Planetary Type (using the chart we documented earlier: Airless Balls, Terrestrials, Jovians, etc.).
3. The Math of Gravity
Ken St. Andre didn't want you to just guess how heavy a planet felt; he provided a calculator formula for Gravity based on your random roll ($D$):
Terrestrial Formula: $Gravity = .21D - 1/D$
Example: If you roll an 8, your gravity is 1.55 times Earth normal.
4. Atmospheric Conditions & Geography
For Terrestrial and Sub-terrestrial worlds, roll 2D6 to see what the surface actually looks like:
2-4: Ocean world with scattered islands.
5-8: Earth normal (Mix of continents and oceans).
9-10: Super tropical (Water never freezes; no polar ice caps).
11-12: Desert world (Water is the most precious resource).
5. Life Status
Just because a planet is Earth-like doesn't mean anyone is home.
Terrestrial Worlds: Support life on a roll of 2-11 on 2D6. (A 12 means the world is inexplicably dead).
Venus-like (Super-terrestrial): Only supports life on a roll of 2-3.
Workshop: Rolling Up the "Hedges Alpha" System
Step 1: The Star
We start with a Class G, Main Sequence star. According to the Planetary Systems table, a Class G star allows us to roll 3 Dice to determine the number of planets.
Roll: 4, 2, 5.
Total: 11 Planets. (A very crowded system!)
Step 2: The Worlds (A Sample Selection)
We won't roll for all 11, but let’s look at the first three orbits. We roll 1 Die for each to determine the Planetary Type.
Orbit 1: Roll is a 1. Result: Airless Ball. We roll again to see if it's an asteroid belt. Roll is a 2. It stays a planet—a scorched, Mercury-like rock.
Orbit 2: Roll is a 3. Result: Terrestrial. This is our prime candidate for life.
Orbit 3: Roll is a 5. Result: Gas Giant. A cold, massive world with its own system of moons.
Step 3: The Terrestrial Mystery (Orbit 2)
Now we apply the "Hard Math" to our Terrestrial world.
Gravity: We roll a D6 for the gravity modifier. Roll is a 4.
Formula: $Gravity = .8 + (4 \times .1) = 1.2$
Result: Heavy gravity. Your crew will feel 20% heavier here.
Geography: We roll 2D6 for the surface. Roll is a 11.
Result: Desert World. A vast, sandy wasteland where water is the primary currency.
Life: We roll 2D6 to see if it's inhabited. Roll is a 7.
Result: Life Exists!
Step 4: What Kind of Life?
Using the Life Quality and Body Shape tables:
Quality Roll: .93 (Pre-global high technology). They have radio and flight, but haven't reached the stars.
Base Chemistry: .81 (Silicon-based).
Body Shape: .35 (Insectoid).
The Narrative: In the Hedges Alpha system, the second planet is a heavy-gravity desert world inhabited by highly advanced, silicon-based Insectoids. They live in massive glass hives and communicate via radio waves across the dunes.
System Profile: The Zosma System (Delta Leonis)
In the Starfaring universe, Zosma is more than just a star; it is a Radiant Interference Source. This spectral anomaly causes a -1D penalty to Sensors and Communications for any ship entering the system.
1. The Star: Zosma (Delta Leonis)
Spectral Class: Class A (Blue-White).
Planetary Potential: Per Starfaring rules, an A-class star rolls 5 Dice for planet count.
The Outcome: The Zosma system is packed with diverse worlds, from icy moons to magical nexuses.
2. The Primary World: Zosma Quarta (Zimrala)
Type: Terrestrial Magical Nexus (Breathable).
Key Features: Home to the Fungus Forest and the Tygerian Isles.
Orbitals: Monitored by the Zimrala One Space Station.
Moons: * Glacia: Icy Small Moon.
Ignis: Volcanic Moon.
Lumis: The Shattered Moon.
3. The Moon Crystal Economy
The Zosma system is unique for its Moon Crystals, harvested primarily from the shattered remains of Lumis. In Starfaring terms, these act as specialized energy sources for portals.
Crust (Quartz): Common.
Mantle (Vibrant): Rare.
Core (Legendary): Ultra-rare; used for high-tier portal activation.
Workshop: Portal Mechanics & The Void
Navigating Zosma requires more than just a Ship’s Brain; it requires understanding the metaphysics of the Dwon & Ether Dragons.
Portal Activation: Requires a TN (Target Number) of 15–25.
The Wild Die: If the Wild Die rolls a 1, a Backlash occurs, potentially detuning your Star Crystals or damaging the Ship's Brain.
The Factions: * Sumer Empire: Focused on Capital Ship Scaling.
Egyptos: Masters of Engineering and History.
Product Identity & Legal
The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The world of Zimrala, The Tygerian Isles, the Ether Dragons and their portal mechanics, The Tiger Force Shadow Saga, and the specific "Hedge Wizard of the Shreveport Cabin" persona. Also included are the "Royal Cartographer" archetype, the character "Emperor Rajah," and the original adventure "The Drifting Tower of Frifon."
Unique Items: The Ink of Anticipation, The Compass of Lost Things, Parchment of Echoes, The Scope of the True Meridian, The Rod of Infinite Spanning, and The Plumb of Gravity’s Anchor.
Trademarks: Monsters! Monsters! and Humans, Humans (1st Edition) are trademarks of Ken St. Andre and Troll Godfather Press and are used with permission. Starfaring is a trademark of its respective owner. The statistics, game mechanics, and compatible fan content provided herein are designated as unofficial playtest material for the Tygerian Isles campaign setting and are not official products of the trademark holders. © 2026 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.
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