I would like to help with this project as well and feel I can contribute a few things of use to it.
Now heres an idea for the economics system and I will confess its largely inspired by the PC game EVE Online- Ive been playing it for a few years now (I highly recommend trying the trial version). I think that the cost of certain retrofits, purchases and upgrades would largely depend upon your standing with local factions in the sector. So perhaps we should devise a way of measuring your standing with perhaps four different factions? Depending on your standing certain ships/upgrades are available and for varying prices. It may get too complicated but how about this:
Faction 1: Local imperial citizenry- High standing means you can more easily repair your ships of human make and acquire more human originated tech.
Faction 2: Local alien presence (traders?)- High standing grants you access to advanced xeno upgrades. This can manifest as additional xeno subsystem upgrades, being able to carry more, or just weapons that your ships could usually not carry like Lances (make up an alien name for them) for your RT cruiser. Can grant access to Xeno transport and trade ships.
Faction 3: Raiders- High standing will grant you access to upgrades for speed, manuverability, and a measure of protection from overly large assaults on your convoys or supply lines. Higher standing equates to less points being available for attackers during convoy scenario where RT is defender if attacked by pirates and the like.
Faction 4: Local Xeno mini empire- High standing will grant you access to more powerful xeno mercenary ships, eventually being able to field cruiser type ships. High standing with this faction will also grant defensive upgrades to your RT's flagship cruiser. If you do not have a new xeno race made up, you can substitute Demiurg for the new xenos.
In the context of a campaign, you have a list of different missions to choose from. Each mission will serve the purposes of a different faction and grant you reputation to them and perhaps a lesser amount of reputation to another a second faction. After each mission your faction standing is altered and you proceed to your next mission. It should be noted that accepting missions and jobs that are in direct conflict with another faction's interests can lower your standing with a faction.
I think that standing should be divided into at least 6 tiers and thus when doing one-off games you can just roll a D6 for standings with the understanding that you may auto pass a single roll for one faction to prevent you from getting low standing with all factions before the game.
1: Nemesis- These individuals curse your name, dream of your violent demise and would happily dance and defecate upon your grave given the ability and opportunity. You may not trade with this faction or purchase from them. You may only gain faction standing via secondary increase (i.e. running missions for another faction that have a secondary positive impact upon this faction.)
2: Enemy- You are an enemy that is to be gunned down given the opportunity. However you are not so utterly hated that this faction will not allow you some of their services at a higher cost. Repairing ships with this faction costs double points and only basic upgrades are able to be purchased at triple their standard cost. You may do missions for this facton but you will only receive 50% of the standard set pay and faction gain.
3: Unfriendly- They don't know you and thus don't trust you. You are possibly regarded as a target of opportunity or an outsider. Your coin, however, is something they are familiar with and thus you may: Buy basic ships from this faction at 150% the normal cost, repair your ships for 150% the normal cost and purchase basic and average upgrades at 150% of the normal cost. Missions grant 75% standard pay and reputation.
4: Neutral- They know you and know of your works. They have no grudge against you and would like to know more about you and possibly create new trade deals. Missions grant 100% normal pay and reputation. You may repair ships with this faction at 110% cost. You may buy basic and average ships and upgrades from this faction at 110% the normal cost and may have access to their more medium quality craft at 150% normal cost (medium quality = heavy transports, Q-ships, Alien transports, basic unupgraded light cruisers.
5: Friendly- They trust you and believe you can be depended upon to accomplish goals in their interests. Missions earn 100% Reputation and 110% pay. You may purchase basic, average and high quality upgrades at 100% cost. You may purchase average, medium and high quality ships (high quality= 140-160 pt cruisers, superior 'raider' type ships and upgraded heavy transports/utility ships) if they are a faction that makes ships available to you. You may repair your ships at normal cost with this standing.
6: Heroic- You are regarded as a champion of the cause and are a trusted ally, even if you are by chance not of the same species. Missions earn 115% pay and 100% reputation. If the faction sells upgrades you may purchase any upgrade at 100% of it's normal cost (average, medium, high and advanced quality). If they sell you ships you may even purchase a warship/ a warship's service at normal cost. (Any ships this faction may make available to you are available to you. You may buy basic, average, high and advanced ships from them. Advanced would qualify as a roughly 200 point cruiser. Only one such ship may be purchased of each class available. If this faction sells ships but not warships you may purchase a highly advanced transport.). Repairing ships costs 90% of the normal cost with this standing.
I guess that the system I've given an example of requires us to lob upgrades and purchasable ships and add ons into 4 categories. I think that each faction should offer advanced equipment at higher levels of reputation. For example an advanced trade ship may only be available from the Xeno merchant faction. It could be a heavy transport with enhanced survivability or resilience and increased carrying capacity (it counts as 3 or more transports)
There can ofcourse be more than 4 factions but an example of how reputation and secondary reputation could work is as follows:
The faction that has employed you will give you X% of the missions reputation worth as denoted by your faction standing with them. You will gain 50% of the faction standing with a second faction that the mission would benefit as well (i.e. you fight off and hurt a raider force then you gain rep with the Xeno traders as the space lanes are a little safer or the Xeno mini empire as they respect your battle prowess more). But you also lose 75% of the mission's faction standing with the faction who the mission is oriented against.
Hokai- Im done for now- sorry that it was so long winded.
_________________ With the proper vacuum forces you can drain a human body of blood in 7.6 seconds.
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