Fri 07 Feb 2020, 08:54
S. M, have you read any of the other Year Zero games? World exploring (and maps) isn’t just about canon references, it can be a concept, something that is a part of the game mechanics. Even ”endless possibilities” is something you do in the game, perhaps through tables, cards, alternate maps or some other kind of tools. So instead of talking about ”endless possibilities”, I would prefer specific possibilities. Games are specific, not general or endless. It might be possible to do ”anything” or to go ”anywhere”, but usually a game provides some ideas or suggestions. Or very straight forward limitations, like in Monopoly or chess.
So a way to be specific about exploring deep space in the Alien universe might be to create a campaign frame for exploring. Another way to put it could be to make exploring new worlds a career path, just like the truckers, colonists and marines. You set up your own expedition, target a certain planet or area, and go there to explore. It might first be just a small crew, but then possibly expanding to colonizing. Or something else. If you put the Prometheus movie into a career path, it would be the exploring mission. From a game point of view, there should probably be many possible outcomes of such a mission (perhaps you can list the most interesting ones, just to give an idea). I might actually present that concept in a new thread. It will for sure include expanding the starmap in some way.
And as I said in a previous post, having several (perhaps contradicting) corporate starmaps of areas outside the canon core map could reflect the conflicts that are at least quite central to the setting. For example, when you think you have discovered a new planet, the U. P. P. is already there with troops and scientists. Situations like that would be interesting in a exploration campaign; the PCs would probably be interested in getting the U. P. P. map of the specific area. They might have mapped a much larger area.
I’m not a fan of the Predator line (bodybuilders with dreadlocks...), but The Founders seem like a potentially cool concept that could be developed, even though I’m not sure if anything Predator is really canon. Not according to Ridley Scott anyway. But perhaps Fox has another opinion.