STAR WARS: EDGE OF THE REPUBLIC
With the downfall of the Imperial Remnant at the Battle of Jakku, the Empire has been officially shattered. None could be happier to receive this news than the countless scum and villainy that had been previously been checked and balanced against the might of the Empire. With Coruscant once again reseating the Republic Senate, the newly elected Chancellor's "Reconciliation and Restoration" initiative has all efforts focused on "repairing the Galactic Economy," which for many just means what it has always meant: the Outer Rim is on its own. Where the New Republic lacks the will to enforce law and order, fortune favors the bold.
In Edge of the Republic (EOTR), you are an up-and-coming guild member seeking to make their own way in the wilderness that is the Outer Rim. Stake your reputation early on by taking Imperial Order, New Republic, or Hutt Syndicate contracts. Once your wealth increases, hire new personnel and battle rival guilds for territory rights. As your sphere of influence expands, so may the number of those who fear and respect you.
UNIT TEMPLATES INSTEAD OF SPECS
The Star Wars galaxy has a countless number of ships; too many in fact for a game of this kind, that is by and large shining the spotlight on non-capital ships. So instead of providing a database of specifications, we are instead going to use a template system that will allow players to customize their own ships. Players are encouraged to "re-skin" these templates however they wish using known vessel classes, but are not required to. For example, in this game, someone might use a "Stock Light Freighter." We can imagine this as a Corellian YT-series, or we could also imagine it as something sleeker built by SoroSuub. The template system gives us the freedom to do both.
PLATFORMS
Rigger
Riggers are small spacecraft that are often mistaken for escape pods. They typically began their life as airspeeders or aerospace vehicles that were later modified for trans-orbital flying. Typically, smugglers will have riggers docked on larger freighters to facilitate shipping, because their small size and minimal electromagnetic footprint often allows them to evade detection. Larger corporations use riggers for asteroid mining operations, or starship building and repair.
Jumper
Jumpers are essentially capital ship grade engines with cockpit modules bolted on. Built for hauling, tugging, and even racing in some parts of the galaxy, they can be adapted for a wide variety of tasks.
Starfighter
Starfighters are one of the most basic spacefaring platforms in the galaxy, and because of that are seen everywhere doing everything. Many middle-class families might have a starfighter in their garage, not because they plan on going into combat, but because it facilitates intergalactic travel at very low cost.
Shuttle
Shuttles are dedicated spacecraft designed to transport personnel anywhere in the galaxy. As most shuttles are built around hyperdrives, their interiors are not very comfortable, but they get the job done. Shuttles typically trade armament for speed, as most have fast hyperdrives and powerful sublight engines.
Barge
Barges are the workhorses of intergalactic trade. They are the bigger brothers to Jumpers, and as such are seen in convoys with countless shipping containers attached to their hull.
Freighter
Freighters are typically used by smaller firms or owner-operated companies who don't yet have the means to acquire barges with escorts or larger ships. They are quite common because of how versatile their design platforms are, and their capability to support after-market upgrades and modifications that are useful for "business."
Gunship
Gunships are effectively freighters that were built strictly for military applications. Pirates and bounty hunters are known to utilize gunships the most because, well, they are in the most gunfights.
Clipper
Clippers mark the gray line between auxiliary craft and capital ships, as their size makes them difficult to land in typical spaceports or hangar bays. You'll typically see these ships in the employ of wealthy individuals or companies, who tend to traverse major hyperlanes only. However, their size makes them ideal for armed escort roles, as they can support enough modifications to take on pirates with ease.
Cruiser
Cruisers are the smallest variety of capital ships, and were specifically designed for long voyages, deep space expeditions, and a variety of other roles such as planetary defense and interdiction. They are quite expensive upfront, and even more expensive to modify (due to having numerous integrated systems).
Corvette
Corvettes are very expensive for individuals to maintain and operate, which is why they are almost always flagged by governments, companies, large guilds, and paramilitary contractors. For those who have the means, corvettes are the pinnacle. They have the powerful engines of jumpers, storage that rivals barges, and enough weapon systems to fend off multiple attackers at once.
CONFIGURATIONS
The configuration below specify what a vessel was originally designed to do, and as such is a permanent feature. Depending on the designation, different modifications will be available for that vessel.
Cargo: for shipping and hauling containers.
Assault: for offensive capabilities.
Personnel: for transporting people.
Escort: for defensive capabilities.
Stealth: for speed and low-profile operations.
Stock: for general use, or as specified by manufacturer.
SIZE VARIATIONS
On the platform chart, you will see that each platform has a size value. This is considered the "medium" (or "stock") size variant of a platform. Players are allowed to purchase smaller or larger variants, if so, the Light and Heavy columns specify the change in size. For example, a Light Freighter would have a size value of 32, a Medium Transport would have a size value of 30, and a Heavy Clipper would have a size value of 60. Initially, players will be limited to the total amount of units they can support based on size alone, and so Light and Heavy variations can be a way to optimize your fleet's disposition.
THE TECH TREE: HOW PLATFORMS, CONFIGURATIONS, AND MODIFICATIONS WORK
Each platform can only be modified so much until its stock systems (reactor, engine, etc.) can no longer support changes, or the platform itself suffers a critical loss in performance. Each platform has a variety of configurations it can support, and in turn, these configurations have a variety of modifications that can be supported. One cannot simply hope to tow a Star Destroyer using a starfighter, or mount a quad turbolaser turret on a shuttle, for instance.
