For convenience I am representing the main level of the worldship as a hex map. But this is not a flat land like other campaigns, it has height and width more akin to an underdark map. So on the six mile hex map, what are those hexes and how do you cross them?
Types of hexes and travel times
Being in the main unnatural terrain, I have represented certain key zones using standard map symbols. Below is the updated map showing all the current blog post updates (and a few to come).
Hab cylinder zones (equivalent of plains/grassland/forest)
Hab, (Habitat) cylinders are represented with the appropriate centre hex and a thick grey outer wall. These zones are six mile diameter open spaces with large expanses of normal “earthly” terrain in the middle. The space inside is open to a six mile high virtual sky. At about the two-three mile point natural clouds form, though there is little wind. The ceiling is covered in sun lights that produce the illumination equivalent to a normal sun. Some have a day night cycle, though the hours may vary, others may have only day, or damaged ones may be totally dark. Overall, these form the food basins of the various inhabitants of the world ship and are relatively easy to traverse at ground level. Some have networks of sky bridges crossing the 6 mile expanse, the good ones have handrails.
Machinery hexes (equivalent of mountains/forest)
The guts of the worldship, these hexes are shown as plain grey hexes. These six mile high and six mile wide zones filled with technological wonders such as miles upon hundreds of miles of piping, power conduits, water, transport systems, offices and labs. Any transport systems have long been shut down. The visitors deliberately have not powered them as, in their reduced capacity, it would make holding their territory harder.
Damaged zones (equivalent of mountains)
Damaged zones use the grey rough symbol. These zones have fallen into massive disrepair or structural damage. In general, they were previously another hex type but are now cluttered with debris, flooded, mouldy and difficult to traverse. It is impossible to cross between damaged hexes.
Special zones (equivalent of plains or special terrain)
They are represented by light grey hexes or other distinct zones (such as the Arboretum Jungles). Used for the spine, hangers and power systems, these zones are special features and have discrete rules for travel listed (in the blog post relevant to each zone). The hangers are treated as hab cylinders.
Travel times and navigation
Aside from distance, the players must still make navigation tests as they move through the ship using the rules on p.94 of ACKs. This test represents their overall location awareness on the ship, rather than just finding a passageway in the maze of possibilities on the worldship as examined n the next section below.
Movement summary table
Moving between hexes
All hexes are effectively 6 mile high and wide, the key thing is they are very vertical, and not flat. You can find yourself having to travel up and over as much as around or through. As such there are three modes, defined as passages of travel: Mainlines, Subways and Walkways.
Players must both navigate in terms of overall map location as well as test to cross a hex due to smaller scale passageway dead ends or cross backs. When traversing any single hex to another, the players must state the type of passage used to travel. On any hex crossing they expend the time required for the hex they are in as per above, they must roll on the following table to determine if they are able to cross successfully into the new hex. Failure indicates they hit a dead end, (or crossed back) and remain in the same hex and must try again. Additionally, this counts as re-entering the hex for random encounter purposes.
Traverse summary table
Mainlines are huge open conduits with massive blast doors designed to allow battleships and abductors to traverse the ship. As such they are huge affairs, and more importantly very direct and straight. Mainlines represent the fastest way to travel, but everyone knows this, making them also the most dangerous. Failure to traverse a mainline is infrequent and often represents closed bulkheads that force the players to back track to another mainline.
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| Mainlines are so large you can fly a saucer through them |
Subways are a compromise, being in the main 20 to 30 foot wide to allow for hover rail to traverse. They remain relatively direct, but also not as large or risky as the mainlines. They tended to follow the ancient needs of the visitors and can take indirect courses following some ritualistic path of the original inhabitants that was important to their daily rituals. Failure to traverse a subway can be as a result of collapsed lines or ancient destroyed hover trains that block the path forcing the players to back track and find another line.
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| Subways are large enough for smaller vehicles to traverse them |
Walkways are everywhere, they are the common hallways and passages of the ship. Millions of miles weave and cross the ship and they are generously apportioned to allow creatures of up to 10 foot to walk in style. They are the most difficult passages to navigate over long distances ending in old buildings or structures not connected to a common destination. As such they are a slow way to travel, but their prevalence makes them the safest. Failure to traverse is easy in walkways, often being as a result of unfavourable paths that lead the players away from their destination toward some other path whose priority is faded to time.
Encounter Table
I'm still working on this aspect but have provided a draft table below (I’m still working on some of the monsters). In general, the easier it is to cross, the bigger and nastier the threat rolling on the traverse summary table above on the table below. The intent here is to still allow some lower level groups the ability to travel, but they can't get as far as fast as higher level groups.
WOW! I love this!
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