SciFi RPG, how do you manage?

[enuru99]

I am in clear need of resources for a SciFi RPG. I used to work on Inkarnate but I didn't manage to find a way to efficiently do SciFi maps on it. I really wish to find a reliable solution for doing maps because I don't find any way so far. pls help.

[Mastikator]

For battle maps/dungeons/houses/space stations I use Dungeon Scrawl.

Overland maps I find inkarnate is good enough, but then I use paint.net to add houses/roads/stuff

For planet maps I like donjon map generator and use paint.net to modify colors

World building is a lot of effort IMO

[Lacco]

I'd suggest you take a look at Traveller Startship Geomorphs. Just google it, should be available.

[Psyren]

Any reason a VTT wouldn't work, like Roll20 or Foundry? IIRC those have various compatible map packs and modules that you could use regardless of system.

[Telok]

I'd suggest you take a look at Traveller Startship Geomorphs. Just google it, should be available.

Seconding this. Big big time saver.

For ships I use WWII battleship & carrier deck plans a lot. Snag a chunk (don't often need the whole thing), rename some stuff, use. As a bonus you end up with stuff most people won't think to put on ships. Laundry, post, dentist, lawyer, bakery, etc. Can also cut & paste from the geomorphs into the rl ships.

If you search you can find extensive deck plans for Star Wars & Star Trek ships.

Amusingly, a number of FPS maps work well. Halo, Mass Effect, Doom, etc. And people often have those online somewhere. Try using older stuff to keep recognition down.

[Dawgmoah]

Any reason a VTT wouldn't work, like Roll20 or Foundry? IIRC those have various compatible map packs and modules that you could use regardless of system.

I second what Psyren wrote. And for SciFi games I have used a lot of cheap to free artwork bought off of DriveThru RPG; especially during their sales.

Also, a majority of what I use just comes from using Google to find maps or items. These are great for theatre of the mind type games - a backdrop of a planet as the ship circles it, a star field, gas clouds, etc. I mostly use Gimp to modify what I find to what I want.

Hope this helps.

[Bohandas]

Are we talking about dungeon maps, world maps, or star maps?

EDIT:
And regardless of map type, one thing that you could always do is screenshot a map from a computer game that uses procedural generation and then change the details to suit your setting

[Alcore]

I use hex graph mapper for my naval combat. (And a large helping of MS paint)

The mapper allows me to create straight lines and MS Paint allows me to add tokens. The result is a “map” that looks like the readout of a submarines sonar from those old movies. Unless facing multiple enemies on different sides they only get half of it.


Mongoose Traveller is the system which has predefined ranges so i make as many rings as needed.