Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LightNews

Norsehound

@norsehound.bsky.social

870 followers 1.2K following 2.1K posts

World Builder. Impulsive creator (game design, illustration, writing). Was the lore writer for Homeworld Mobile. Still a beleaguered parent after a pandemic.

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 1h

Taldren/14 degrees east/Interplay produced the Starfleet Command and Klingon Academy video games. It's a family of movie-era vessels made in the late 90s.

The Okinawa, Akula, Yamato, and Ulysses classes come from here.

Largely I see FASA as 2270-2285 designs while Taldren ships are 2290s.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 1h

Now one ship in the game is the Chandley. It's a marine assault cruiser, but it's in because Marines have more of a soft power application than a cruiser packing a Starbase's amount of photons.

Also, since all the Klingons will have them, the feds need one too.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 1h

This is not to say they won't be out there, Klingon challenge cards might have you run into them. Possibly after war kicks off.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 1h

I don't believe huge warships like the Ulysses, Yamato, or Kolm-An have scientific facilities next to their military roles- the notion is ridiculous. So I won't be making those ships or any other purposeful military ships.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 1h

As a missile cruiser the Andor's purpose is to annihilate things. It has little utility for scientific missions or cargo ferrying duties, which is what ships will be asked to do in Captains. It's about the adventure, there are other games that better represent destroying stuff.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 2h

TrekCaptains. Because I thought of it, a detail of this game is that while you will be able to fly a lot of TMP era designs from across fandom (inc. FASA and Taldren ships), I won't be giving you pure warships like the Andor class

Not because I object to warships, it's just not in the scope.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 2h

I only got as far as outlining espionage mechanics in the Klingons and conceptual ideas for what they can do and what the Romulans need to do, but it will be the greatest test of hidden information play in the game.

Right next to the hidden traitor mirror universe players of course.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 2h

There's an espionage mechanic in the Klingon box that is expanded greatly for the Romulans, who in combination with a hidden movement mechanic are trying to get things a specific way. Sometimes this means helping the Federation.

They're very Bene gesserit, if you've played Dune.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 2h

I overlooked the Romulans, which are also PvP, but they're both direct and indirect.

While the Klingons play to force the Federation to lose (imperial mission accomplishments or Marauder attacks), the romulans are trying to attain specific secret conditions

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 8h

TrekCaptains. It also occurred to me while I got back into the design space for this, each of the expansions has different niches.

Starfleet Academy enhances single player (more character progression, awards, characters to help in absence of other players)

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 8h

I know! In one of my early f2f tests I had a player express doubt in enabling a PvP mode... *But I can see it*. I think I can make this hydra work for anyone who wants to turn on/off features. It's somewhere between an RPG system and a board game. And I'm finally ready to realize it.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 8h

Long ago I invented allied ships as a concept which are reduced vessels lacking officers and a lot of the functionality. In the base game they're pawns to help you but I can see giving them automated rules to be enemies in solo games.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 8h

Yeah earning merit goes from awards and new commands in the base game to hiring crew and conducting repairs. I imagine you can have a pirate player running their own game in parallel with the Starfleet guys, a Klingon player, and like a hidden mirror universe agent among the feds. If you're crazy.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 8h

The Final Reflection is supposed to tie it all together with a compelling end for failing the campaign, and it was always intended that way. But I didn't imagine how I could use the other expansions until just now.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 8h

Merchants and marauders is the odd one out to almost allow you to play a related game with the common components. There you can run a privateer campaign and it will come with rules and tools for automated freighters.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 8h

The Starfleet Box is PvE multiplayer support (3 new specialist support ships, new sectors, fleet enhancing admirals)

The Klingon box introduces PvP (imperial role is indirect PvP, Marauder is direct PvP)

By any other name and all our yesterdays are content upgrades to build on what's there.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 8h

TrekCaptains. It also occurred to me while I got back into the design space for this, each of the expansions has different niches.

Starfleet Academy enhances single player (more character progression, awards, characters to help in absence of other players)

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 8h

Hairbrained game ideas this morning: Greathelm, but social combat

Only other details is overhearing gossip gives you momentum before approaching your target to rebuke them.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 1d

Not yet! I have a Discord ready but haven't opened it yet. Was going to wait to have a few more protos ready before starting to share

Once Captains is ready I can provide that, Warzone Shogun, and maybe 8511 Fleet for play.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 1d

It would be rad if I can get out a playable base game by then. I might dedicate myself to doing that.

A lot of people have expressed interest in it over the years and it's my most involved design.

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 1d

I'm a little mad because I can start to see the warzone games fall off the table with only Shogun completed and napoleon halfway done and barely tested. But I'm trying to push myself to get to the desk more often to be productive

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 1d

Managed to get a little desk time in. Editing on the secret project (it'll be ready at Christmas at this rate- a year after I originally wanted it), and making cards for Captains.

If Captains is gonna be a kit, I gotta push component updates. This and building a PDF rulebook are the tasks to do

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 3d

Certain missions might need to target a random world of a specific type. So that marks which planet is the target.

I should add that to the rules because I don't think I covered that...

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 3d

Colony worlds are in blue, alien worlds are in orange. A sector will contain a number of worlds, the last revision I made on map tiles increased their size and made sure all three types were represented (inc. frontier planets)

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 3d

Had to edit this post...

Fly through the last turn as a kiddo is talking in their room. We have a transporter malfunction hiccup to run over before finding out what the heezd trees are about. I end the game with a score of 17!

Now to pack up...

Norsehound @norsehound.bsky.social · 3d

The next though I had is just how much my legendary officers (Uhura, bones) defined my game. While that's perhaps how it should be, they are famous after all, the abilities of my other officers didn't really compete.