Space Stations (14)
Smaller than planets¸ often larger than capital ships¸ space stations are a key part of any system's military¸ economic and social construct. Indeed¸ in some systems the majority of the local population may be housed on stations with only a few making their lives on planets and moons in the area. Either way¸ stations are almost universally present in any system able to build them. The core of this book is focused on the design and construction of space stations. New power-plants and grav drives provide the much less intensive needs of a space station¸ while new hull forms allow for cheaper structures to be built without the anti-gravity plating normally mounted within every ship. Facilities enable space stations to take part in local¸ inter-planetary and interstellar production and trade¸ to become population centres¸ install shopping districts and construct their own starships for sale or personal use. Further chapters give more detail to station facilities and how they function¸ as well as offering new docking options for larger spacecraft and even capital ships. Stations can be the home ports of entire fleets¸ and without sufficient docking and recreation space¸ a fleet will soon fall apart. This book covers a wide variety of types of station¸ and also the running of a station¸ involving building¸ staffing and setting up the imports that will be its life blood. You will read about the continued running of a station and the end result; profits. Finally¸ you will discover adventure hooks¸ setting suggestions and example stations to populate your Traveller universe with.