FrontierSpace Ruleset

[LordEntrails]

Stellaris Tabletop.
This kinda pictures always amazes me!

The base map is from DWD and comes with the PHB. It's really well done IMO. Not just from a artistic view, but in how it has lots of areas that can be used for campaign prompts. Like the Nagol Dust Cloud right in the center. It would be so much more efficient if a freighter crew could find a way straight through. Imagine the profits they could make!

And the Asimaar Prelacy has a choke hold on transit between the Feds and the Council. And they are ruled by religious fanatics, so what might happen if the Prelacy decides to embargo transit?

And of course, all the mysterious locations, like the Great Wall, and the Ship Graveyard, etc. I'm having a great time adding in things to my campaign, And some of them I'm even going to publish so others can leverage my work.

[Tempered7]

The base map is from DWD and comes with the PHB. It's really well done IMO. Not just from a artistic view, but in how it has lots of areas that can be used for campaign prompts. Like the Nagol Dust Cloud right in the center. It would be so much more efficient if a freighter crew could find a way straight through. Imagine the profits they could make!

And the Asimaar Prelacy has a choke hold on transit between the Feds and the Council. And they are ruled by religious fanatics, so what might happen if the Prelacy decides to embargo transit?

And of course, all the mysterious locations, like the Great Wall, and the Ship Graveyard, etc. I'm having a great time adding in things to my campaign, And some of them I'm even going to publish so others can leverage my work.

My ADHD is going in warp speed on all the colorful lights and I don't understand anything but I checked every word 1 by 1 and it sounds like this space genre has way more than just pew pew ships.

Nagol Dust Cloud for example. Wiki says "The dust particles in the Solar System play a significant role in scattering sunlight and emitting thermal radiation." Freighter ships would need anti-radiation thingies and push through to see what happens. I wonder if the PHB has some upgrades, as in space 4X games, like a perk tree?

Religious fanatics in space. I thought they were only in Warhammer. If they'd use the embargo card, Feds and the Council would join forces to play the Dandelion card to poke a hole in it? But how would they communicate?

Add Gravity Nexus to the mysterious places. Man, I shouldda paid attention in science classes. Is it like a parts of space in different gravity intensities connected somehow? You enter it, you walk in the spaceship, 5 meters later Weeeeeeee!

Yeah, when it's about space and science Im on the "bonk efficiently" level, half past stone age. But I'm progressing. Jokes aside, thank you for all this. Especially for the map. It reminded me times I had enough energy to play complex games <3

EDIT: Btw, in 9 months, you guys literally circled the universe.

[LordEntrails]

My ADHD is going in warp speed on all the colorful lights and I don't understand anything but I checked every word 1 by 1 and it sounds like this space genre has way more than just pew pew ships.

lol, even a good Star Wars game has more than pew pew Here's the White version of the map, might help your ADHD
Screenshot 2025-10-03 120047.png

Nagol Dust Cloud for example. Wiki says "The dust particles in the Solar System play a significant role in scattering sunlight and emitting thermal radiation." Freighter ships would need anti-radiation thingies and push through to see what happens. I wonder if the PHB has some upgrades, as in space 4X games, like a perk tree?

So no perk trees. But the PHB and Referee's books have ship upgrades. The Nagol Dust Cloud is more of a nebula, so an area of concentrated space dust or other anomolies. In general this means FTL travel through is dangerous or impossible. The Ref Book has suggestions on what might happen if trying to travel through a nebula at FTL. As part of a module I'm writing, I'm doing specifics for this nebula. In short FTL has to be done in short hops, with the clouds blocking sensors beyond a short range so you have to jump 1/2 LY, scan, jump etc and hope that you find a way through. Trying to go faster risks engine damage, ship damage etc.

Religious fanatics in space. I thought they were only in Warhammer. If they'd use the embargo card, Feds and the Council would join forces to play the Dandelion card to poke a hole in it? But how would they communicate?

Dragon cultists no less who fear psionics no less. But yes, how would the Feds and Council poke a hole?

Add Gravity Nexus to the mysterious places. Man, I shouldda paid attention in science classes. Is it like a parts of space in different gravity intensities connected somehow? You enter it, you walk in the spaceship, 5 meters later Weeeeeeee!

It's not defined in the books, so yea, what it means is up to the referee. I'm not sure what I'm going to use in my campaign. Though RAW it is the location of a former stable wormhole where one of the races came into the sector through. But the wormhole has been lost or collapsed or is no longer stable. Another possible campaign hook.

Yeah, when it's about space and science Im on the "bonk efficiently" level, half past stone age. But I'm progressing. Jokes aside, thank you for all this. Especially for the map. It reminded me times I had enough energy to play complex games <3

EDIT: Btw, in 9 months, you guys literally circled the universe.

I did the map cuz I wanted the players to get the sense of just how much they have travelled and explored. Glad you have enjoyed!

[Tempered7]

Yep, now I can see better xD and just noticed aty the mid-east, there's Nagol's dusty space so wide that it means no going there.

Ah, that's the word! By perk tree I meant upgrades.
Your new module on the nebula and all this FTL reminds me Dune series. In it, spice is the crucial factor on traversing the unknown space by making the user see the future.

But what about instead of substance, an alien life form (making it cute would be super cool!) that can "calculate" the future? Like, as mysterious and esoteric it speaks, its words are always about future. Down to where the last dust particle will be in which second --So that the crew can set the engines accordingly. I don't know how to "use" it (and if it's ethical to do so) but that would be cool to explore.

Baby Vrusk?

As to the Dandelion card, they're gonna need to either;

1) Leave crumbs (com devices) in southwest sectors (Faranis being fair mid point) for communication and meetings,
2) Even plant a bait at the Graveyard to lure the cultists' forces there, while the actual meetings take place somwhere else. (Stigya / Duergan are good places to support this)
3) Or spread false info ("flotsam in cultist territory") for the Pirates --which doesn't just make them leave the Feds / Council alone, but also stall the cultists while Feds/Council enjoy exchanging goods.
4) Or simply use politics (read: spies) to appeal to a higher force if there is one.

EDIT:

It's not defined in the books, so yea, what it means is up to the referee. I'm not sure what I'm going to use in my campaign. Though RAW it is the location of a former stable wormhole where one of the races came into the sector through. But the wormhole has been lost or collapsed or is no longer stable. Another possible campaign hook.

That would be a nice space-mystery (find the source) for parties who need it get to the bottom of some big events, and bring the war back to the source. Like in Mass Effect.

Ohh, It just gave me a plot twist idea: "We're still here"
Spoiler: "Unstable wormhole sucks and spits the crew at the (seemingly) same place and time. Until they notice some things have changed. Which leads to bigger differences from their earlier experiences. Because they are in the 10% different alternative reality.

Or what about a wormhole that gives birth to wormholes?" /Spoiler.

[LordEntrails]

See, a good map sparks imagination. Love all this. You'll have to run your own FrontierSpace campaign one of these days!

[Tempered7]

See, a good map sparks imagination. Love all this. You'll have to run your own FrontierSpace campaign one of these days!

xD Exactly! Hopefully, one day.
It'll take more time to recover from this Summer. And there's still the Mad Mage campaign.
Hope the things I wrote helps.