It's just a jump to the Right...

[plugger (OP)]

Goodaye,

Getting my head around the totality of the beast and I'm uncertain about the movement system modelled by Aurora. Couldn't find any posts explaining it, just bits and pieces scattered here and there. Perhaps this is instinctive knowledge that you get from reading enough SciFi books or imbiding pan-galactic gargleblasters. Either way I missed it. Below is a summary of what I've figured out. If I've got something wrong I'd be appreciative of being told so.


Aurora Movement System

Intra-System movement is by engines of various types. Punt yourself happily around the place provided the Sun is still too bright to look at.

System to System (InterGalactic?) movement is by Jumping.

You can only jump via jump points. And with the right kind of music.
Jump points are found by Grav Surverys within the system.
Each jump point leads to a specific system destination.

To use a jump point you need a Jump Drive bolted onto your trusty starship. Away you go. Distance is no limitation.

Jump Drive equiped ships can't decide to jump from system A to system B if no connecting jump point is present. Aurora is essentially modelling a choke point system here.

Ships with Jump drives can also take other,  non-jumpy ships, with them at the same time provided certain restrictions are adhered to (size/number)

You have the ability to build Jump Gates (same as a Star Gate or is this something different ?)
Jump Gates enable non-jumpy ships to take a big step to the right and end up in the destination system. If ET wants to come home then there needs to be a jump gate at the other end.

Then there are Civilian and Military Jump Drives.
Ships with Military Engines (not Jump Drives) can't use Civilian Jump Drives 'cause they are all hotted up and liable to go bang.
Ships with Military Engines can't piggy back onto a ship using a Civilian Jump Drive.
Military ships can have Civilian Engines and Civilian Jump Drives.

Military ships can have Civilian Engines and Military Jump Drives or is this another oil and water don't mix situation?

I also read somewhere that Jump points can be 'hidden' or 'dormant' in a system and not picked up by your grav-survey. So the bug-eyed Aliens from Betelguese can feasibly drop by for a cup of tea without you having any prior knowledge or time to put the kettle on (unless you've set up sensors in outlying systems perhaps). Is this true?

Communications from system to system (ships or colonies) happen via jump points. Do you need to have anything set up for this to happen, eg. jump gates, or does it do so automatically provided their is a jump point link between the two systems ?

Can mass drivers heave mineral packets from system to system via jump points and do they need jump gates set up at both ends to do so?

If, on the other hand, mass drivers can't flick stuff to different systems can I  build freighters to do the job instead or does the game promote a philosophy that minerals found within a system need to be used within that system?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Plugger

[mrwigggles]

Communications from system to system (ships or colonies) happen via jump points. Do you need to have anything set up for this to happen, eg. jump gates, or does it do so automatically provided their is a jump point link between the two systems ?


Cheers,
Plugger

To my knowledge this bit is just for role playing within the system and not enforced mechanically.

[Steve Walmsley]

Isn't it a jump to the left and then a step to the right?

Steve

[Steve Walmsley]

I also read somewhere that Jump points can be 'hidden' or 'dormant' in a system and not picked up by your grav-survey. So the bug-eyed Aliens from Betelguese can feasibly drop by for a cup of tea without you having any prior knowledge or time to put the kettle on (unless you've set up sensors in outlying systems perhaps). Is this true?

Everything before this was correct and this is true as well.

Communications from system to system (ships or colonies) happen via jump points. Do you need to have anything set up for this to happen, eg. jump gates, or does it do so automatically provided their is a jump point link between the two systems ?

It's more of a roleplay aspect. As the player you know everything that happens. You may want to roleplay that certain ship commanders are unaware of events in other system unless they are connected by jump gates or the news is brought through a jump point by a ship.

Can mass drivers heave mineral packets from system to system via jump points and do they need jump gates set up at both ends to do so?

You can't send packets through jump points

If, on the other hand, mass drivers can't flick stuff to different systems can I  build freighters to do the job instead or does the game promote a philosophy that minerals found within a system need to be used within that system?

You will need freighters.

Steve

[plugger (OP)]

Goodaye,

Got it. Thanks.

Isn't it a jump to the left and then a step to the right?

Arrr... So it is.

Cheers,
Plugger

[sloanjh]

BTW, The Aurora code/rules evolved from a game called Starfire (SF).  Although Aurora at present has about the same relationship to Starfire as modern man does to Lucy (or even less), one thing that has survived are the concepts of inertialess drives, jump points (also called warp points), and surveying for jump points.  If you're familiar with SF, then that might give you a little bit of "aha".

And there's also a very concrete relationship to science fiction books - David Weber (who wrote a huge part of the 3rd edition rules for SF) and Steve White wrote a series of novels set in the universe of a SF campaign - this was essentially the beginning of DW's sci-fi carreer.

As an example of the relationship, Steve recently put a feature into Aurora (that I like very much, btw) that jump points show up gradually as you survey a system.  At the time, IIRC, he said it was motivated by a scene from one of the SF novels (The Shiva Option, IIRC).

John

EDIT/PS - BTW, if you want to read the SF books, they're sold by Baen (publishing, which has a lot of military SF (Science Fiction, not StarFire) authors).  The correct order to read them is Crusade, In Death Ground, The Shiva Option, and Insurrection (although Insurrection was actually the first one written).  They're collected in a pair of omnibus editions from Baen called The Stars at War I & II, along with some additional material that's not found in the stand-alone novels (at least for Insurrection).  Steve White also wrote a follow-on book a year or two ago that takes place after Insurrection, but I don't remember its name.

[Beersatron]

BTW, The Aurora code/rules evolved from a game called Starfire (SF).  Although Aurora at present has about the same relationship to Starfire as modern man does to Lucy (or even less), one thing that has survived are the concepts of inertialess drives, jump points (also called warp points), and surveying for jump points.  If you're familiar with SF, then that might give you a little bit of "aha".

And there's also a very concrete relationship to science fiction books - David Weber (who wrote a huge part of the 3rd edition rules for SF) and Steve White wrote a series of novels set in the universe of a SF campaign - this was essentially the beginning of DW's sci-fi carreer.

As an example of the relationship, Steve recently put a feature into Aurora (that I like very much, btw) that jump points show up gradually as you survey a system.  At the time, IIRC, he said it was motivated by a scene from one of the SF novels (The Shiva Option, IIRC).

John

EDIT/PS - BTW, if you want to read the SF books, they're sold by Baen (publishing, which has a lot of military SF (Science Fiction, not StarFire) authors).  The correct order to read them is Crusade, In Death Ground, The Shiva Option, and Insurrection (although Insurrection was actually the first one written).  They're collected in a pair of omnibus editions from Baen called The Stars at War I & II, along with some additional material that's not found in the stand-alone novels (at least for Insurrection).  Steve White also wrote a follow-on book a year or two ago that takes place after Insurrection, but I don't remember its name.

The new one is Exodus and it is a bit pants compared to the original ones DW and Steve White did together (Steve White has another co-author and the writing style puts me off, even after a recent second read).

I highly recommend the Stars at War collections, you should be able to buy them relatively cheap. Also, you can get them free from the Baen library - and yes, it really is free and hosted by the publisher!

[Steve Walmsley]

BTW, The Aurora code/rules evolved from a game called Starfire (SF).  Although Aurora at present has about the same relationship to Starfire as modern man does to Lucy (or even less), one thing that has survived are the concepts of inertialess drives, jump points (also called warp points), and surveying for jump points.  If you're familiar with SF, then that might give you a little bit of "aha".

And there's also a very concrete relationship to science fiction books - David Weber (who wrote a huge part of the 3rd edition rules for SF) and Steve White wrote a series of novels set in the universe of a SF campaign - this was essentially the beginning of DW's sci-fi carreer.

As an example of the relationship, Steve recently put a feature into Aurora (that I like very much, btw) that jump points show up gradually as you survey a system.  At the time, IIRC, he said it was motivated by a scene from one of the SF novels (The Shiva Option, IIRC).

John

EDIT/PS - BTW, if you want to read the SF books, they're sold by Baen (publishing, which has a lot of military SF (Science Fiction, not StarFire) authors).  The correct order to read them is Crusade, In Death Ground, The Shiva Option, and Insurrection (although Insurrection was actually the first one written).  They're collected in a pair of omnibus editions from Baen called The Stars at War I & II, along with some additional material that's not found in the stand-alone novels (at least for Insurrection).  Steve White also wrote a follow-on book a year or two ago that takes place after Insurrection, but I don't remember its name.

The Starfire background material for third edition was a considerable influence on Aurora. Obviously I am biased but I think the general flavour of Aurora is closer to the Starfire novels than the later versions of Starfire . As John mentioned, some of the game mechanics are set up deliberatly to allow you to replicate some of the events in the Starfire novels, although those mechanics are very different than Starfire of any edition (although that is a board game so its hardly surprising). David Weber's Honor Harrington novels also had some influence on the game design.

Steve

[plugger (OP)]

Goodaye,

Thanks for the heads up on the books. My local library has most of them. I've already reserved the first couple.

Cheers,
Plugger