Right now I'm revisiting the Commerce section of the rules, specifically Cargo.
- Firstly, all Cargo will be referred to as being Grade 0 to Grade 4. (I've been doing a pass, unifying the code-words in the rules, and 'Grade' will now be used to describe an object's relative value/power/upgrades; A Grade 1 weapon has 1 upgrade, etc. So Grade 2 cargo is much more valuable than Grade 1, while Grade 4 are the top-notch, best quality goods).
- Secondly, whenever a unit of foreign cargo is brought to a new market, it can be bartered away for higher Grade local cargo.
- Thirdly, Cargo can be used to give +Cargo Grade to an Aquisition roll, or once a Cargo hits Grade 4, it has the chance of catching the eye of a Faction, and can be gifted to gain a Favor with said Faction (or repay a Debt).

However, before I start expanding on that system, I'm looking for a general opinion about Interstellar Commerce in Space Opera games. How important is it, especially in a Powered By The Apocalypse system? How 'in depth' should it be, and how much rules overhead should be spent in fleshing it out? Should instead I simplify what I described up there even further?

On the one hand, it provides extra rewards for the players to seek, and a robust system of import/export (want/need) can flesh out the web of interplanetary relationships. A proper system of planetary surplus and demand, combined with a Type for each cargo (Industrial, Medical, Scientific, Luxury, etc) might encourage groups of players, giving them a solid short-term objective or a reason to go to X planet or make a stop at Y station or even land on Z hostile, uninhabited planet.

On the other hand, my experience with Traveller, while fun, was a bit closer to EVE Online than it was Mass Effect, if you get my meaning. It was hilarious to have the ship's Broker player pull up his honest-to-God spreadsheet with planetary surplus and demand when determining their next stop, but it certainly didn't make for action-packed sessions (except on one Rich, High-Tech planet, where the stock market was turned into an endurance-based virtual reality ESport.)

Thoughts/comments/opinions appreciated!

Through personal experience and fromfeedback (from here, on Story Games and general correspondence), I feel that I have not yet hit the sweet spot for the "find out about a thing" Move. Additionally, Codex Entries really aren't gelling the way I hoped; despite being quite strong, they rarely get used. I had moved away from DW's style of Discern Realty, because even in that game, I found that players greatly overused it. I went the other way with the last implementation of Assessment, but I probably went too far. Here's a new proposal, which swings back a bit, but still has a bit of the broader scope (i.e. this is a meaningful, active assessment, not a "Knowledge: Whatever" or "Spot" check)

In this version, a Codex Entry can be expended to give a +1 to any one roll directly leveraging the knowledge in the Codex Entry (better than +1 forward, not quite +1 ongoing). There are no limits to the number of Codex Entries a character can have, but they expire when the information is no longer immediately relevant/useful/up-to-date.

I'm also trying a different templating, phasing out the Roll+[Stat] in favor of examples for each stat.

ASSESSMENT
When you collect critical information about an important, dangerous or mysterious subject…
… using stealth, fear or cunning, Roll+Mettle
… using research, knowledge and logic, Roll+Expertise
… using hard work or strenuous activity, Roll+Physique
… using informants or gossip, Roll+Influence
… using the SectorNet or electronics/devices, Roll+Interface

On a 10+, you gain significant information about the subject, and earn a Codex Entry about it as well.
On a 7-9, the GM will divulge interesting, potentially useful information about the subject. Or they might ask you to do so.
On a 6-, the GM will reveal facts about the subject you probably wish were not true.

I encourage you guys to give this a whirl, even in a 'simulated' game; I'd like to know how it feels. Any thoughts or feedback is always appreciated.

For tracking all your awesome stats and stuff. If you're feeling creative and want to make your own UW sheets, or would like to show examples of your favorite character sheets from other games, post 'em here!

A thread for the design of careers, origins and individual skills. Please feel free to post any questions, comments or concerns about the skills, game-breaking or not-fun experiences with certain skills, or even inconsistencies in how they are written.

I've been wanting to make/run a Space Opera style game for quite a while, but I've grown quite fond of the AW and DW mechanics. Considering how open to hacking the system is, I finally decided to buckle down and work on a Space Opera hack. The game has a lot of different inspirations, though it started mainly with Traveller. I quickly realized that rather than limit myself to the fiction of another, I'd rather approach it on a broader scope, with my own fiction. That said, Mass Effect, Traveller and Lois McMaster Bjould's amazing Vorkosigan series (and obviously Star Trek, Star Wars Dune, etc) all inspired me greatly.

I've gone through a few iterations already with friends from another forum, and I feel that I have something quite solid to show. You guys are the veterans of the system, so I greatly appreciate your Yoda like wisdom (that Google Hangout you guys did on hacking a while back was stellar, it really helped!). This hack is growing way bigger than I intended, and it's turning into a full-blown production, rather than a "skin". I'm cautiously optimistic about the whole thing becoming a solid product.

That said... I'm kinda new to these forums, and I especially have no idea how one goes about "starting" a hack here. Do I just... post stuff in this thread? Is to kosher to ask for one of those neat subforums, or should I stick to the more general forum for the moment?

[Edit] Here's what I have so far. There's still TONS to do, but I feel it's off to a good start. The GM Principles took a long while to come together, but they have since been SUPER helpful in designing the rest.