I was asked recently to generate a dozen star systems for another referee. Since we know well in advance that what we will get is a lot of red dwarves, I decided to spice it up a bit, make it more interesting, by modifying the star system generation tables (we are using T20) to allow the creation of young red dwarf systems. That is, well under a billion years old, perhaps even before they have their T. Tauri winds.
Generate the system as normal (# of gas giants, planetoid belts, others), but with the following modifications:
1) Almost all bodies are in orbit 0 or 1. Thus orbital periods are a matter of weeks at most.
2) Use the following table to determine the size of planets and gas giant moons:
Roll 2d6:
2 200 km
3 300 km
4 400 km
5 500 km
6 600 km
7 700 km
8 800 km
9 Size 1
10 Size 2
11 Size 3
12 Size 4
3) Because of the combination of tidal stresses (from so many fast orbitting nearby objects), and infalling cometary material, atmosphere rating is 2d6 - 6 + size digit (size 0 or less have atmosphere 0, as usual).
4) Travelling in Orbit 0 constitutes a +4 hazard difficulty to pilot, astrogation, sensor, comm, and so on. Travelling in Orbit 1 is a +2 hazard.
5) Cultures, if any, tend to be of Solomani descent, as the Vilani had the good sense to never even consider inhabiting such systems.
In the specific case I used, there was a small cluster of these young stars, out of contact for centuries after the Long Night. Many of the systems had declined from Belter cultures to extinction or marginal existance, some survivors managed to preserve early interstellar cultures.
Smeelbo
Generate the system as normal (# of gas giants, planetoid belts, others), but with the following modifications:
1) Almost all bodies are in orbit 0 or 1. Thus orbital periods are a matter of weeks at most.
2) Use the following table to determine the size of planets and gas giant moons:
Roll 2d6:
2 200 km
3 300 km
4 400 km
5 500 km
6 600 km
7 700 km
8 800 km
9 Size 1
10 Size 2
11 Size 3
12 Size 4
3) Because of the combination of tidal stresses (from so many fast orbitting nearby objects), and infalling cometary material, atmosphere rating is 2d6 - 6 + size digit (size 0 or less have atmosphere 0, as usual).
4) Travelling in Orbit 0 constitutes a +4 hazard difficulty to pilot, astrogation, sensor, comm, and so on. Travelling in Orbit 1 is a +2 hazard.
5) Cultures, if any, tend to be of Solomani descent, as the Vilani had the good sense to never even consider inhabiting such systems.
In the specific case I used, there was a small cluster of these young stars, out of contact for centuries after the Long Night. Many of the systems had declined from Belter cultures to extinction or marginal existance, some survivors managed to preserve early interstellar cultures.
Smeelbo
