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{{quote|[[Stars Without Number/Setting|The default setting of Stars Without Number]] is a far future age in which the sprawling, glorious domain of human space has been reduced to a scattering of squabbling powers and long-lost worlds. The ancient domain of humanity has shrunken with the collapse of the psi-powered Jump Gates that once stitched the remote regions of the frontier into the teeming worlds of the human core.
Now, almost six hundred years after the catastrophe that ended the Golden Age of Man, new hope rises from the wreckage of a fallen empire.
|''Stars Without Number: Revised Edition'': "The History of Space" }}
'''''Stars Without Number''''' is a [[Sci-Fi]] [[
* Original Edition (2010)
* Revised Edition (2017): Got the new character generation system, ascending Armor Class and Shock damage for melee weapons. Also, followed d20 fashion of reducing amount of skills.
* ''Other Dust'': a fully compatible companion game about living with [[Grey Goo]] and/or insanity: its setting is Earth very soon after the Scream, rather than after centuries of recovery, so it's even more [[Post Apocalyptic]].
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Revised Edition only gives special abilities instead of statistics (though one of Warrior's is HP bonus and Attack bonus), and adds Adventurer as multiclass [[Master of None|having "Partial" versions of two classes]].
{{Needs More Info}}▼
▲{{Needs More Info}}
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== RPG Mechanics ==
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|The author's [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1637945166/stars-without-number-revised-edition/comments?comment%3DUHJvamVjdENvbW1lbnQtMTgyNTc3MDg%3D explanation] on [[Kickstarter]] }}
**** Also used to handle more unusual characters: Aliens and AI use an appropriate "Origin Focus" (encapsulating basic mechanics for their nature), and there's "Unique Gift" focus as umbrella for less extreme cases («Whether due to exotic technological augmentation, a unique transhuman background, or a remarkable human talent…»).
* [[Cybernetics Eat Your Soul]]: Downplayed. All cyberware inflicts permanent System Strain, and some also temporary on activation. So the more augmentation, the less a character can use biopsionic healing or pretech healing and [[Nanobots|pretech "stims"]], since those also inflict System Strain, and upon overload
* [[Design It Yourself Equipment]] There's usual starship building from hulls and components. Revised Edition allows to build mods into the hull, i.e. make variant ship classes. There's e.g. non-interchangeable mounting for particular equipment saving space and power, or special mounting for oversized equipment, which allows things like courier vessels built around overpowered spike drives, or Fighters with torpedo launchers (normally reserved for Frigate size).
** [[Ace Custom]]: Revised Edition introduced "Mods" for personal equipment and starships. Those tend to be expensive (from 5% of the hull cost and up) require extra maintenance beyond off-the-shelf hardware. In case of ships, it can be built properly (more expensive, but without personal maintenance requirement) or included into a new hull type (which only adds the mod cost, and maintenance cost raises proportionally to the ship cost).
** Fans try to tinker up funny things, like [[Cowboy Bebop|Bebop]] imitations (see [https://np.reddit.com/r/SWN/comments/d0p8jx/how_to_space_fighter/ here], [https://np.reddit.com/r/SWN/comments/fdweba/replicating_the_bebop/ here] and [https://np.reddit.com/r/SWN/comments/gikpis/if_you_take_oversized_mountings_can_you_mount/fqi217f/ here]).
* [[Hit Points]]
* [[Planet of Hats]]: Averted with some help from [[Combinatorial Explosion]], in that randomly generated planets have two world tags, and mentality of random alien species has two "lenses", which must be combined with each other and other parameters into a meaningful whole.
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== Faction Strategy ==
SWN includes an awesome for simplicity of its mechanics system of ''faction'' strategy, which can be used as dynamic backdrop or involve player input: PCs can donate funds or assets, destroy assets, ''be'' part of assets if they work for someone, or start a new faction on their own (e.g. if you colonized a planet not in the name of an existing faction, what you ''already have'' can be represented by a faction with [Colonists] primary tag, along with one automatic [Planetary Government] tag it gives).
** [[Counter Attack]]: Asset attacks that result in a failure or tie invite counterattack damage.
** [[Hit Points]]: Assets, factions, and they overlap in Base of Influence.
** [[Tech Levels]]: Restrict asset availability on a planet, though there are ways to circumvent this.
* [[Cloak and Dagger]]/[[Spy-Versus-Spy]]: Cunning based (i.e. intelligence) attacks, [Stealthed] Special Forces assets smuggled in… Some factions are made for this:
▲* [[Turn-Based Strategy]]:
** Machiavellian: gives bonus to one Cunning attack per turn,
**
*** And then ''Darkness Visible'' expansion builds another town on top of this.▼
*** [[Corrupt Politician]]/[[Double Agent]]/[[Honey Trap]]/etc: A lot of Cunning assets represent subversion and turncoats, and most can be [Stealthed] until they are used to attack or defend (and then again, if they survive).▼
*** Theocratic: gives bonus to one defense from a Cunning attack per turn,
*** [[Deep-Cover Agent]]: Few things can unmask Stealthed assets without wasting an Action. Being used for attack or defence unmasks, but not other actions. So a Demagogue, Lobbyists or Lawyers need to show their true colours to be useful, but Surveyors help to create Base of Influence and move on, a friendly Commodities Broker just sits there and reduces costs of all new assets, while Pretech Researchers allow to buy non-military assets of too high TL for the planet…▼
*** [[Loose Lips]]: Informers can reveal all Stealthed assets of a faction, and don't even need already visible assets to try. And are by far the cheapest way to do this (but require to waste an Action the faction could spend on making money).▼
▲
*** [[Mata Hari]]: A successful attack from Seductress instead of inflicting damage makes the target reveal any Stealthed assets of its faction currently on the planet. Also, can be attacked only by Special Forces (granted, this includes lots of things from Hitmen or Zealots to Demagogue or Lawyers).▼
▲
*** [[Secret War]]: A faction with high Cunning and/or advantage in using it (and good income) can take over a world with Cunning and Wealth attacks only, nothing as blatant as sending fleets of dropships. Against attempts to purge exposed assets by direct force, guerillas jump in the way, moles get underfoot or Seditionists paralyse the whole military units via divided loyalties.▼
▲
▲*** Of course, some factions have equal advantage in defence, and Imperialists or Warlike factions can try to «[[Myth Adventures|catch up with the opposition and return the favor… physically.]]»
▲
** [[Eagle Squadron]]: A faction can buy an asset anywhere they have a Base of Influence and then move it anywhere in range (of available transportation-capable assets, if it's not mobile itself). The local government may veto military units, but doesn't ''have to''. Which allows many shenanigans — including specifically formation of an unit on allied territory and then moving it to one's own (this wastes an action to move, but can be meaningful even without alliance mechanics: effective TL and cost vary per planet, and enemy may have less opportunities to sabotage it).▼
▲
** [[Hired Guns]]: Mercenaries have extra upkeep cost, but they are a Wealth asset attacking with Wealth vs. Force, i.e. it's an unit that doesn't care about how strong your military infrastructure is, if your faction's strong side is economy, you can afford more and better hired guns, that's it.▼
▲
** [[NGO Superpower]]: Mechanically, the ''only'' intrinsic difference between the factions are tags. And there's no restrictions for acquiring "Planetary Government" tag for some or other planet. Thus ''any'' faction could do it via successful Seize action (if it's Secretive, well, there's "Secret Masters" World Tag), whether by fighting (Force attacks), or turning assets via Treachery or Hostile Takeover. Also, mechanically its ''only'' effect is rights to allow or veto<ref>which can be blocked by rivals using Lobbyists and Popular Movement assets respectively, at that, and in case of transportation also circumvented by Stealth or Blockade Runners</ref> raising at the planet (or moving in) most military units. Which involves "implicit" military force (i.e. it sits in garrisons as a part of Force infrastructure and cannot be readily thrown here or there). And possibly one-time growth if the faction had Goal to seize that planet and now accomplished it, but now the others can do the same. It can be much more useful to have a separate allied faction as a government (more actions and different strengths).▼
* [[Glass Cannon]]: Assassins… and Zealots.
** [[Privateer]]: blockade fleets — plunder the target in addition to damage.▼
: Hitmen: 1 HP, attack 1d6 / counter None.
** [[Servant Race]]: Eugenic Cults have Gengineered Slaves as Force assets of Military Unit or Special Forces type, and bonus to attack or defend with them. They are comparable with Militia at fighting, but cheaper by half and tougher by half, i.e. good [[Cannon Fodder]].▼
: Cyberninjas: 4 HP, attack 2d6 / counter None.
: Psychic Assassins: 4 HP, attack 2d6+2 / counter None.
: Zealots: 4 HP, attack 2d6 / counter 2d6.
* [[Hired Guns]]
▲** [[
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* [[Suicide Attack]]/[[Last Stand]]: «Zealots take 1d4 damage every time they launch a successful attack or perform a counterattack.» So in full HP there's 1/4 chance of them killing themselves with enthusiasm ''on a successful attack'', worse in a tie against anything that causes damage itself. And the rest of time they, of course, take damage normally, and any Military Unit or Special Forces does at least 1d4. So they take damage that can wipe them out whenever attack or being attacked.
** Very high counterattack value combined with modest cost makes them good spiky meat shields, however.
* [[We Can Rebuild Him]]: If a Military Unit or Special Forces asset is destroyed, Medical Center allows to immediately recover it in 1 HP, at half the cost. The rest is up to Repair Asset action, which it also makes cheaper.
** [[We Have Reserves]]: With a Medical Center it's easier to fix waves of cheap units than a few expensive ones, while Repair Asset does wonders within 1-2 Attribute value's worth of HPs, but is increasingly expensive if you want full repair of something tougher. So in this ruleset "the odds are on the cheaper man".
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[[Category:{{
[[Category:Pages Original to All The Tropes]]
[[Category:Tabletop Games]]
[[Category:Tabletop Games of the 2010s]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Tabletop Games]]
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