Jorus Merrill
is mek bote
The Factory and the Codex are great resources and a ton of fun. There are times, though, when you might want to build something outside of the Factory or the Codex. Within common-sense limits, this is completely OK. The Powers That Be have stated over and over that the Factory and Codex are 100% optional.
Now, some people have tried to use that as justification to build phrik-plated Star Destroyers in blog posts using Factory templates. That went over as well as you might imagine. As a result, I have four personal rules I use when building things outside the Factory or Codex. I've only really done this with starships, so that's where my focus will be.
I'll also note that I often use this process to supplement and flesh out Factory-built ships. See my signature for one example.
Rule #1: Make new templates from scratch.
WHY: Using Factory ship templates outside the Factory comes across as a signal that you don't think your ship could get past the judges. Everyone will assume your ship is broken. If you need a better reason, Staff ruled a while back that you can't use Factory templates outside the Factory to circumvent it.
HOW: Start fresh. The current templates are the great-grandchildren of the guide from 2013, and rely on most of the same priorities. Find new priorities that support the kind of RP you enjoy. Here's an example, a ship template I use occasionally in blog posts, IC posts, and character bios. I based it on elements from the SW tabletop games (d6 and Edge of the Empire, mainly). You can guess the kind of RP this is meant for. Feel free to use or adapt it, and since it has zero overlap with the Factory templates, it doesn't get close to breaking the staff ruling I mentioned.
Rule #2: Respect relevant Factory standards, especially ship/fleet/manufacturing length limits and restricted material rules.
WHY: Building your own template is NOT a way to give your Tier 2 corporation a stygium-cloaked Mandalorian Iron battleship that's great at everything. Chaos has a lot of freedom built in, but people who act the fool risk ruining options for everyone.
HOW: I never use restricted materials in my homebrew ships, and I try to build ships that would get through the Factory if translated into their terms.
Rule #3: Don't push it.
WHY: Again, don't ruin things for everyone, yourself included.
HOW: Don't use this process for ostentatious messaging that you think you're better than the Factory. Don't build homebrew armadas and invade people. If you cite your homebrew ships in company tier increases, don't make it huge. I've had a couple of semi-recent tier increases granted where one of my products was homebrew using the template above. I'd like to think Staff accepted those tier increases because I didn't try to ram through a whole slate of homebrew products, and because I gave those products as much detail and balance as a good Factory sub.
Rule #4: If Staff asks me to sub my homebrew ships to the Factory as part of a report, I would do it. It's never happened. (See rule #3.)
So yeah, those are my personal rules for building homebrew ships outside the Factory. It's not something I do often, but creating new templates is fun, and sometimes a different perspective fits my RP better than the priorities in an official template. If you're ever interested in building codified creations outside the Factory or Codex, I'm happy to be a second set of eyes.
Now, some people have tried to use that as justification to build phrik-plated Star Destroyers in blog posts using Factory templates. That went over as well as you might imagine. As a result, I have four personal rules I use when building things outside the Factory or Codex. I've only really done this with starships, so that's where my focus will be.
I'll also note that I often use this process to supplement and flesh out Factory-built ships. See my signature for one example.
Rule #1: Make new templates from scratch.
WHY: Using Factory ship templates outside the Factory comes across as a signal that you don't think your ship could get past the judges. Everyone will assume your ship is broken. If you need a better reason, Staff ruled a while back that you can't use Factory templates outside the Factory to circumvent it.
HOW: Start fresh. The current templates are the great-grandchildren of the guide from 2013, and rely on most of the same priorities. Find new priorities that support the kind of RP you enjoy. Here's an example, a ship template I use occasionally in blog posts, IC posts, and character bios. I based it on elements from the SW tabletop games (d6 and Edge of the Empire, mainly). You can guess the kind of RP this is meant for. Feel free to use or adapt it, and since it has zero overlap with the Factory templates, it doesn't get close to breaking the staff ruling I mentioned.
Image Reference:
Make:
Model:
Colour:
Trade-In Value:
Size Classification: (I use the Factory size categories, just for clarity)
Mission Profile:
Combat Role:
Tech Level: (e.g. Core Worlds elite, Mid Rim military, Outer Rim, etc., with explanation)
Sensor Range: (Short, Standard, Long, Extreme - see here: http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2227-brief-intro-to-weaponsensor-range/ )
Hyperdrive Range: (See here: http://starwarsrp.net/topic/56567-brief-guide-to-hyperdrive-range/?hl=%22hyperdrive+range%22 )
Sublight Fuel Capacity: (Transorbital or Interplanetary, with explanation.)
Cargo Lift Mass:
Supply Capacity:
Amenities:
System Strain Resistance: (E.g. how likely are systems to fail, and how vulnerable are they to ion weapons? For example, the Millennium Falcon would rate pretty low here.)
Points of Strain: (First systems to fail, structural weak points, etc.)
Here’s a few examples of this template in action:
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2421-translation-class-light-courier-yacht-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2211-shambhala-class-science-vessel-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2193-cormorant-class-light-freighter-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2212-the-heir-apparent-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2189-the-wretched-hive-additional-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/105566-welcome-back/#entry1538048
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/120653-wretched-hive-ship-notebook/#entry1687481
Make:
Model:
Colour:
Trade-In Value:
Size Classification: (I use the Factory size categories, just for clarity)
Mission Profile:
Combat Role:
Tech Level: (e.g. Core Worlds elite, Mid Rim military, Outer Rim, etc., with explanation)
Sensor Range: (Short, Standard, Long, Extreme - see here: http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2227-brief-intro-to-weaponsensor-range/ )
Hyperdrive Range: (See here: http://starwarsrp.net/topic/56567-brief-guide-to-hyperdrive-range/?hl=%22hyperdrive+range%22 )
Sublight Fuel Capacity: (Transorbital or Interplanetary, with explanation.)
Cargo Lift Mass:
Supply Capacity:
Amenities:
System Strain Resistance: (E.g. how likely are systems to fail, and how vulnerable are they to ion weapons? For example, the Millennium Falcon would rate pretty low here.)
Points of Strain: (First systems to fail, structural weak points, etc.)
Here’s a few examples of this template in action:
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2421-translation-class-light-courier-yacht-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2211-shambhala-class-science-vessel-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2193-cormorant-class-light-freighter-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2212-the-heir-apparent-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/blog/107/entry-2189-the-wretched-hive-additional-notes/
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/105566-welcome-back/#entry1538048
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/120653-wretched-hive-ship-notebook/#entry1687481
Rule #2: Respect relevant Factory standards, especially ship/fleet/manufacturing length limits and restricted material rules.
WHY: Building your own template is NOT a way to give your Tier 2 corporation a stygium-cloaked Mandalorian Iron battleship that's great at everything. Chaos has a lot of freedom built in, but people who act the fool risk ruining options for everyone.
HOW: I never use restricted materials in my homebrew ships, and I try to build ships that would get through the Factory if translated into their terms.
Rule #3: Don't push it.
WHY: Again, don't ruin things for everyone, yourself included.
HOW: Don't use this process for ostentatious messaging that you think you're better than the Factory. Don't build homebrew armadas and invade people. If you cite your homebrew ships in company tier increases, don't make it huge. I've had a couple of semi-recent tier increases granted where one of my products was homebrew using the template above. I'd like to think Staff accepted those tier increases because I didn't try to ram through a whole slate of homebrew products, and because I gave those products as much detail and balance as a good Factory sub.
Rule #4: If Staff asks me to sub my homebrew ships to the Factory as part of a report, I would do it. It's never happened. (See rule #3.)
So yeah, those are my personal rules for building homebrew ships outside the Factory. It's not something I do often, but creating new templates is fun, and sometimes a different perspective fits my RP better than the priorities in an official template. If you're ever interested in building codified creations outside the Factory or Codex, I'm happy to be a second set of eyes.
