These are very simple rules for creating new spaceframes and mission profiles.
CREATE SPACEFRAME
1. Select Name
Select a name for the new spaceframe. This name always corresponds with the class (or type) of a starship created with this spaceframe.
2. Choose Year of Commission:
This determines how many system points may be distributed among the six ship systems. It also determines the lowest and highest normal score in a system.
Year System Points Min/Max Era
2234 – 2143 36 4/8
2244 – 2153 37 4/8 ENT
2154 – 2163 38 4/8
2164 – 2173 39 5/9
2174 – 2183 40 5/9
2184 – 2193 41 5/9
2194 – 2203 42 5/9
2204 – 2213 43 5/9
2214 – 2223 44 5/9
2224 – 2233 45 6/10
2234 – 2243 46 6/10
2244 – 2253 47 6/10
2254 – 2263 48 6/10 DIS
2264 – 2273 49 6/10 TOS
2274 – 2283 50 6/10 TMP - TVH
2284 – 2293 51 7/11 TFF, TUC
2294 – 2303 52 7/11
2304 – 2313 53 7/11
2314 – 2323 54 7/11
2324 – 2333 55 7/11
2334 – 2343 56 7/11
2344 – 2353 57 8/12
2354 – 2363 58 8/12
2364 – 2373 59 8/12 TNG, DS9, VOY
2374 – 2383 60 8/12 DS9, VOY
2384 – 2393 61 8/12
2394 – 2403 62 8/12
2404 – 2413 63 9/13 Star Trek Online
3. Distribute System Points:
The system points must be distributed more or less evenly among the six ship systems. No system may have less points than listed. Every point above the listed maximum costs double.
4. Determine Department Boni:
You may distribute three +1 boni among the six departments. You may even stack them to give one department a +3 or one department a +2 and another a +1.
5. Determine Scale:
The scale of a starship determines its size, the strength of its tractor beam and the number of talents it may have. Choose a number between 3 (Defiant class) and 7 (Borg cube).
6. Determine Attacks:
You many freely add energy weapons, torpedoes and tractor beam emitters, but some of them are limited to certain talents:
6A. Add Energy Weapons:
Choose a type (Phaser, Disruptor, Phased Polaron Beam, etc.) and a delivery method (Cannon, Bank, Array). You may add as many delivery systems you want but only one type.
6B. Add Torpedoes:
Choose a torpedo type. If you choose quantum torpedoes, you need the starship talent but you also gain the ability to use photon torpedoes.
6C. Add Tractor Beam:
The strength of the tractor beam equals Scale minus 1.
7. Add Talents:
You may add up to Scale minus 1 starship talents. Some talents have requirements which must be met.
CREATE MISSION PROFILE
1. Select Name and Role:
Select a name and a role for the new mission profile.
2. Determine Departments:
Distribute twelve points among the six departments. No department may have a score of less than 1 or more than 3. This distribution should mirror the chosen role.
3. Create List of Talent:
Create a short list of up to five talents fitting for the chosen role.
All spaceframes (except Nova class) and mission profiles in the rulebook can be recreated with these rules. Shuttles and other small craft however follow different rules.
Kyle said Oct 03, 2017 22:26:45
This is excellent! Thank you for putting in the work to put this together.
Fairly certain ships are supposed to have a number of talents equal to scale.
Kyle said Oct 04, 2017 05:32:11
Fairly certain ships are supposed to have a number of talents equal to scale.
Finished ships are, yeah, but the guideline presented is for creating homebrew spaceframes.
SilentP13426 said Oct 04, 2017 05:32:26
@AllenShock, they do once you've finished personalising them individually, but the spaceframe start point doesn't, since at the very least they have one open slot for the talent granted by the mission profile.
ah, ok. Got it.
Allen
So, I tried it and bouilt the Nebula Class, which is one of my favourites.
Naturally there are not so many differences to the Galaxy-Class in the Core Rules.
Nebula Class:
Entered Service 2061
Systems
Comms 09 Engines 10 Security 10
Computer09 Sensors 10 Structure 10
Departments
Command - Security - Science 01
Conn - Engenieering 01 Medical 01
Scale: 6
Attacks:
-Phaser Arrays
-Photon Torpedos
-Tractor Beam (Streangh 5)
Talents:
-Saucer Separation
-Advanced Sensor Suites
-Advanced Sickbay
I decided to keep the Saucer Separation for Emergancys and the same Scale as the Galaxy Class.
Further I keep most of the Systems only changed Computers and Sensors.
And I have found one Question: What does the Advanced Sickbay do? Beside giving the Ship the Advantige Advanced Sickbay.
Thanks Elijah, I will follow your sugestion regarding Scale.
Advanced Sickbay: Sounds good, was also my first thought.
Barbarossa said Oct 05, 2017 15:07:31
There are only two Spaceframes which do not fit into this rules:
- The Nova-class has only 55 system points although she should have 59.
- The tractorbeam of the Constellation-class is weaker than normal.
@Elijah:
Better use Memory Alpha as source. All material postet there is canon and its BTW much better researched than even Okuda's books (which are known for their mistakes even if several of them are now canon (e.g. years in which Star Trek II to V happened)).
BlakeTrebert said Oct 05, 2017 16:10:45
I would like to see starship creation in the engineering book myself. This is a good take.
Barbarossa said Oct 05, 2017 16:38:04
Thanks.
I'd also like to see rules for creating NPC starships. this is IMHO proably even MORE important, as we've got a good number of ships space frame wise, it's not really too hard to say... shift some things around and say a Miranda is a centaur. but NPC ships would be good for designing an "Alien of the week"
Barbarossa said Oct 08, 2017 08:54:11
You can use the same rules. Just add or remove some points if the species is technological more or less advanced. And you are not limited to one type of energy weapons.
we need a version of this for Small Craft :)
Allen
One thing I would note in regards to weapons: Arrays should only be available to ships that entered service in 2334 or later. (Ambassador-class is the earliest known example of a ship with a Phaser Array, entered service in 2335).